Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said Tuesday that Israel believed that 100 of the 134 remaining Israeli hostages were still alive.
He noted that Israel had determined that American-Israeli soldier Sgt. Itay Chen, 19, who served in an armored brigade that engaged Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attack, had in fact been killed, with his body taken to Gaza.
The Times of Israel noted that his family has refused to observe traditional Jewish mourning rituals until his body is returned.
(No hostage deal seems likely in the near future, as Hamas has hardened its demands, according to multiple reports.)
In addition, Mencer reiterated that Israel was doing the utmost “to get aid to civilians who need it the most, while making sure that Hamas cannot steal it, as they are doing.” He noted that Israel supported U.S. efforts to build a floating pier to bring more aid into the Gaza Strip by sea.
Mencer praised Israeli security forces for intercepting a would-be suicide bomber from the West Bank town of Jenin, and discussed an underground Israeli strike Sunday that attempted to kill Marwan Issa, the number-three official in Hamas, as he met with other terrorists. Israel has not been able to confirm yet whether the strike was successful. Mencer added: “The people of Israel are united. We are determined to end Hamas. But we are also patient.”
He noted that Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terror group that illegally occupies southern Lebanon, had continued to fire rockets at Israel in an attempt to overwhelm the Iron Dome missile defense system, which he said remained strong.
“The IDF is ready for an escalation. We do not want an escalation,” he said. “We will defend our northern border.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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