More Israeli hostages dead as IDF makes new push in southern Gaza

Alex Dancyg, 75, and Yagev Buchshtab, 35, died as hostages in the custody of the Hamas terror group, Israel Defense Forces wrote Monday. The news came hours after the IDF confirmed its plans to push against the terror group in the southern Gaza Strip.

A thorough intelligence review confirmed the men’s deaths despite Hamas still holding their bodies, according to the IDF. Investigators continue to examine the circumstances of the deaths. Over a third of the remaining 116 hostages are believed to be dead, according to a June tally by Israeli authorities.

What’s the new operation? The IDF called for more civilian evacuations in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis early Monday morning. The Israeli military plans to redouble efforts against Hamas in the area after intel showed terrorist infrastructure embedded in the designated humanitarian area. Authorities also noted significant terror activity and rockets shot toward Israel from the eastern side of the humanitarian zone. Civilians should head for the readjusted humanitarian area in the coastal town of Al-Mawasi, it added.

The evacuation orders came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to the United States, where he will meet with President Joe Biden and address the U.S. Congress. The important trip comes as the Israeli military fights on seven fronts and Washington experiences great political uncertainty, Netanyahu told reporters before boarding his flight Monday morning. The prime minister’s trip comes less than a day after Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, announced he would not run for reelection in the fall. Both sides of the aisle in Congress should know that Israel will remain America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East regardless of the next president, he added.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report on the UN International Court of Justice ordering Israel to remove its West Bank settlements last week.