[ad_1] A festival goer who it was thought had been taken hostage by Hamas militants from the music festival massacre has now confirmed to have died,
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A festival goer who it was thought had been taken hostage by Hamas militants from the music festival massacre has now confirmed to have died, her family have said.
Fragments of Shani Louk’s skull was found at the festival site.
The news comes as Israel looks to be surrounding Gaza City from the north and south with fear for thousands of people at major hospital in the centre of the war zone. The Israeli Government has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilian buildings, such as hospitals, as covers for its command centres and entrances to its tunnel network.
Israeli soldiers have managed to rescue the first hostage – a fellow soldier who they found in northern Gaza.
While the first hostage video has emerged, of three women taken by Hamas.
Air strikes in northern Gaza, in and around Gaza City continue. But strikes in the southern part of the strip appear to have lessened, with more aid trucks getting through. But the humanitarian situation remains dire.
Israel rescues first hostage
The Israel Defence Force (IDS) has said that it has rescued the first hostage from Gaza.
Private Ori Megidish was taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October.
The IDF rescued her during its incursion into Gaza overnight on Monday.
“The soldier was medically checked, is doing well, and has met with her family. The IDF and Israel Security Agency will continue to do everything it takes in order to release the hostages,” the statement added.
Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu said “welcome home” to Private Megidish in a statement on Twitter.
Around 230 people were taken hostage by Hamas. Only four have been released and now one rescued.
First hostage video emerges
While one hostage was freed, another trio were seen on video – the fist such video to emerge from Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu named the hostages as Elena Trupanov, Daniel Aloni and Rimon Kirsht. He said the video was “cruel psychological propaganda”.
“Our hearts go out to you and the other hostages. We are doing everything to bring all the hostages and missing people home,” Mr Netanyahu said.
The three were seen sitting on chairs against a wall. They looked uninjured and generally healthy.
One of the women appears to reference hostage negotiations that had taken place.
“You promised to release us all,” she said. She finishes with a cry to: “free us all, now”.
German tattoo artist has been killed
German tattoo artist Shani Louk, whose plight inspired attention around the world after she was abducted from a music festival by Hamas, has reportedly been found dead.
Ms Lock, 22, was paraded semi-naked through Gaza on the back of a truck in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister, Shani Nicole Z.L., who was on October 7, 2023, at the party massacre in Re’im,” her sister ADI wrote on Instagram.
The Israeli foreign ministry said Ms Louk had endured “unfathomable horrors”.
While Ms Louk’s body has yet to be found, her mother Ricarda said she was told by the Israeli military that a DNA sample, taken from a skull bone, proved to be hers.
The Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, said Ms Louk had been beheaded.
“These barbaric, sadistic animals simply chopped off her head as they attacked, tortured and killed Israelis,” Mr Herzog said.
“It is a great tragedy and I extend my deepest condolences to her family.”
Four killed in West Bank clash
Four Palestinians were killed on Monday during an early-morning Israeli raid in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
According to the official Palestinian agency Wafa, “more than 100 military vehicles and two bulldozers” took part in the raid which took place in the city and its refugee camp, which is a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups.
Wafa reported military drones hovered over the area during the raid, while snipers were positioned on buildings around the city’s main hospital.
Part of the hospital’s perimeter wall was also demolished by military bulldozers.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.
The deaths come a day after five Palestinians were killed by army fire during several military incursions into the West Bank.
Evacuation impossible for hospital patients: UN agency
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says there are hundreds of injured people in Gaza hospitals who are incapable of evacuating to the south after Israel’s updated warning to civilians on Monday.
Several people in Gaza’s north are left stranded because they “physically don’t have the transportation”, according to the agency’s head, Tom White.
“Many people in the north are seeking shelter in UNRWA schools, they‘re seeking shelter in hospitals,” he said.
“I was up and one of the hospitals this week and there are hundreds and hundreds of patients that can’t be moved.”
The agency says clean water is scarce in parts of Gaza and said they are working on delivering food to civilians as the bombs continue to drop.
Fury at Netanyahu’s accusation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to delete a tweet where he accused security chiefs of failing to warn him about the devastating Hamas attack before October 7.
In the now-deleted post on X, Mr Netanyahu said: “At no point was a warning given to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Hamas’s intention to start a war. On the contrary, all the defence officials, including the heads of the Intelligence Directorate and the Shin Bet, assessed that Hamas was deterred.”
Opposition leader and former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid accused Mr Netanyahu of “crossing a red line” by attributing blame to the security services.
“The attempts to evade responsibility and place the blame on the security establishment weakens the IDF while it is fighting Israel’s enemies,” he said.
Following the backlash, Mr Netanyahu deleted the post on Sunday morning, stating that Israel’s security heads had his “full backing”.
“I was wrong. Things I said following the press conference should not have been said and I apologise for that,” he wrote on X.
Pro-Palestine group criticises former PMs
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network has claimed “six of the seven living former Australian Prime Ministers have allowed themselves to be used as tool in a campaign by the pro-Israel lobby” after former leaders signed a joint statement on Monday.
The group claims the statement “demonstrated explicit pro-Israel bias, failing to recognise Israeli responsibility for bombings that have already killed more than 8000 people in Gaza”.
“I’m most disturbed by the fact that six of our former Prime Ministers signed this statement knowing that it ignores Israel’s current and historical violations of international law,” spokesman Nasser Mashni said.
“The statement’s reference to ‘Australian values of love and respect’ rings hollow, given that the former Prime Ministers failed to acknowledge the tens of thousands of Australians expressing their horror about Israel’s behaviour, and ignored the anguish that many thousands of Palestinian Australians are currently feeling.”
“The Prime Ministers have failed in their duty as states people to equally uphold international law. Their significant platform should have been used to echo calls by the United Nations for an immediate ceasefire.”
“How the former Prime Ministers could have the audacity to quote religious texts about peace while Israel is carpet bombing two million people in Gaza is gut-wrenching hypocrisy.”
“Clearly Paul Keating wasn’t going to allow himself to be a pawn played by lobby groups, and we are disappointed others didn’t follow his example.”
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