Israel confirms hostages murdered in captivity, ceasefire deadline draws near

Iranian officials flocked to Lebanon for the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah this week.

Before leaving Lebanon, Iranian IRNA state media said, “Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have met with the Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement, Sheikh Naim Qassem, on the last day of their trip to Beirut.”

This is important because it shows how Iran still has great expectations for Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been defanged to some extent by Israel during two months of fighting from September to November 2024.

Nasrallah’s funeral was expected to be a show of force for Hezbollah on February 23. It brought together pro-Iranian supporters from all over the region, including what Hezbollah media estimated was 200,000 Iraqis who went to Lebanon.

According to forensic findings, slain hostages Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, and Itzhak Elgarat were murdered in Hamas captivity, and Shlomo Mantzur was killed on October 7, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Thursday morning.

Hamas released the remains of the four hostages on Wednesday night, and the confirmation of their identities was announced on Thursday morning.

Israel Police released footage on Thursday of the moment Israeli security forces prevented an imminent terror attack by armed gunmen who were also in possession of a 100kg explosive meant to harm IDF soldiers in the West Bank.

The announcement was made earlier this week. However, the terror attempt and subsequent arrest were on January 11.

During the operation, forces arrested Ahmad Ali Zakarnah and Tariq Abu Zaid in Nablus while they were en route to carry out an attack. Two loaded M16 rifles, bulletproof vests, face masks, and a large quantity of ammunition were found in their vehicle.

A resident of Petah Tikva was arrested by the Shin Bet and Israel Police for carrying out missions for Iran, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police announced on Thursday.

The Shin Bet and Tel Aviv District Police arrested Daniel Ki Tov, 26, after conducting an investigation which revealed that Ki Tov was in contact with an Iranian entity for months and graffitied areas of Petah Tikva and Rosh HaAyin for payment.

The suspect was asked to photograph the head of the Shin Bet's house, and he allegedly offered to photograph MK Benny Gantz's house as well.

Hamas terrorists have repurposed unexploded material into improvised explosive devices and scanned properties for listening devices left behind by the IDF to track their movements, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, Hamas is monitoring Gaza for potential spies and has designated a separate unit to detect and counter any Israeli infiltration, Arab officials told the WSJ.

In addition, Hamas’s armed wing has appointed new commanders and begun repairing its underground tunnel network in preparation for the possibility of returning to war with Israel, according to officials.

Murdered hostage Tsachi Idan was returned to Israel on Wednesday night, his family confirmed via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Tsachi was on the list of 33 hostages to be released in the first stage of a hostage-ceasefire deal. He was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz as his 18-year-old daughter, Mayaan, was murdered on October 7. 

"We are still waiting for the much-needed certainty, which we can only receive after his arrival in Israel and after all necessary examinations are conducted by the authorized state authorities," his family said in a statement on Wednesday.

Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wanted to impose sanctions on one of the IDF's most secret and elite intelligence units, Unit 504, former Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, told Ariel Kahana in an interview with Israel Hayom on Wednesday night.

"He had already decided," Herzog said. "We managed to prevent him from  bringing down the axe at the last minute." 

"There were difficult moments, and there were cases when the Americans went crazy," he continued. "More than once they really attacked me and said, 'You're crazy, you've fallen on your head, how could you do something like this that would lead to an escalation? You'll drag us into war because you didn't think it through to the end and then ask us to come and rescue you.' There were tough arguments about things Israel did that, in their eyes, was one step too far."

Shlomo Mantzur was confirmed to be one of the slain hostages returned to Israel overnight Wednesday, Kibbutz Kissufim announced on Thursday.

Hamas terrorists murdered Shlomo Mantzur on October 7, 2023, and have been holding his body since then, Kibbutz Kissufim announced earlier this month.

“With a heavy heart, we kibbutz members received the news this morning of the murder in Hamas captivity of our dear friend, Shlomo Mantzur… who was kidnapped from his home,” the kibbutz said on Tuesday.

Slain hostage Ohad Yahalomi's remains were returned to Israel on Wednesday night, his family confirmed after being informed by Israeli authorities.

Terrorists abducted French-Israeli national Ohad from Kibbutz Nir Oz after shooting him in the leg - the then-49-year-old had been attempting to fight off the invading gunmen entering his home. Now 50, Yahalomi is expected to be returned as part of the first phase of a Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement.

On October 7, 2023, after learning of the approaching terrorists, Ohad sealed his wife, Batsheva, and their three children in their saferoom. The room’s door handle had broken, preventing the family from safely locking themselves inside - which led Ohad to sit in front of the door, guarding his family with only a handgun to protect them. 

Itzhak Elgarat has been confirmed as one of the four slain hostages that were released by Hamas on Wednesday night, Israeli media announced, citing Kibbutz Nir Oz on Thursday morning.

"We announce with deep sorrow the murder of Itzhak Elgert, who was kidnapped from his home on the kibbutz on Saturday, October 7, and murdered in captivity in Gaza," Kibbutz Nir Oz announced. "Itzhak, who was kidnapped at the age of 68, came to Nir Oz following his brother and beloved friend in the community. For years, he served the kibbutz with dedication as a groundskeeper and was responsible for plumbing, gas, and stream work.

"He was an integral part of the social scene, loved to hang out at the local pub, host friends, and connect generations. His great love of soccer and backgammon was a household name, and he starred in local games, always with a smile and good spirit.