Israel recovers the bodies of Idan Steifi and Ilan Weiss from Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday, Saturday, the recovery of the body of hostage Idan Steifi from the Gaza Strip, as part of ongoing military operations carried out by Israeli forces in the area.

Netanyahu explained that the recent operation conducted by the Israeli army in cooperation with the General Security Service "Shabak" also resulted in the recovery of the body of hostage Ilan Weiss, who was held by Hamas.

He added that "security agencies are currently working to identify a third body that was recovered during the operation, in addition to collecting samples and belongings belonging to another prisoner believed to have been killed during captivity."

According to Israeli estimates, the number of remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip is 48, of whom only 20 are believed to be alive.

Netanyahu confirmed in statements on Friday that what he described as the "battle to recover hostages" will continue without interruption, emphasizing that Israeli forces are continuing their operations to achieve this goal despite political and military challenges.

In an important political development, sources revealed that the Israeli Chief of Staff informed Netanyahu that a hostage exchange deal is ready for implementation, urging him to seize the opportunity.

The initiative presented by the Qatari and Egyptian mediators this month (August 2025) includes a preliminary ceasefire of 60 days, during which Israeli hostages will be released in two batches, in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons.

Despite Hamas's agreement to the proposal, Netanyahu's government has not officially responded to it yet, but the Prime Minister confirmed that Israel is continuing the war with the aim of "controlling the entire Gaza Strip and defeating Hamas."

These developments come amid rising political and popular pressures on Netanyahu's government, which faces sharp criticism regarding the prolongation of the war and the lack of a decisive breakthrough in the case of the October 7, 2023 prisoners, the day Hamas launched a wide-scale attack on Israeli settlements and military bases in the Gaza envelope, leading to the outbreak of the ongoing war.

This phase is seen as crucial in determining the fate of the war, whether through continuing military operations or entering into a phased settlement that could pave the way for ending the conflict.