Israel-Hamas war: IDF says six hostages' bodies recovered

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said in a statement posted to Telegram on Tuesday that remarks by US President Joe Biden about the group supposedly backing away from a peace deal were "misleading."

Responding to a question about ongoing cease-fire negotiations after his appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Biden said "Israel says they can work it out, they're prepared. But I was told Hamas is now backing off."

"Biden and Blinken's statements are misleading claims and do not reflect the true position of the movement, which is keen to reach a cessation of aggression," Hamas said, calling it an "American green light for the Zionist extremist government to commit more crimes against defenseless civilians."

The group, designated a terror organization by the US and Israel among others, also accused the US of "acquiescing" to new conditions put forward by the Israeli government.

"What was recently presented to the movement constitutes a reversal against what the parties reached on July 2," Hamas said.

An Israeli air strike on a school building in Gaza City reportedly killed at least seven people on Tuesday, according to Gaza's civil defense agency.

An agency spokesman told the AFP news agency that the bodies of five men and two children were pulled from Mustafa Hafiz School, which he said housed "thousands of displaced people." He said 15 more people were injured.

Reuters news agency spoke of up to 10 fatalities.

The Israel Defense Forces claimed that Hamas militants were using the building as a "command and control center" and said it carried out a "precise strike on terrorists who were operating" inside. "Numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions," they added.

Israel regularly accuses Hamas of setting up bases inside buildings such as schools and using civilians as human shields, which the Palestinian militant group denies.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that "approximately 55 projectiles" were fired from southern Lebanon at the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday morning, some of which were intercepted while others fell "in open areas."

The Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said that it had fired an "intensive rocket barrage" at IDF positions.

No injuries were reported, but several fires broke out due to falling debris.

In response, Israeli forces said they struck "one of the launchers from the projectiles were fired."

US Secretary State Antony Blinken arrived in El-Alamein, Egypt, on Tuesday to continue negotiations for a cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal between Israel and  Hamas.

Blinken arrived from Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

Washington's top diplomat said Netanyahu had agreed to a proposal to bridge some of the gaps that stalled a cease-fire deal. 

Blinken, who has called upon Hamas to "do the same," is set to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and foreign minister Badr Abdelatty.

Blinken is then expected to travel to Qatar for talks with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the nation's Emir.

Egypt and Qatar have been key mediators, along with the US, in working toward negotiating a cease-fire between the warring parties.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday morning that they had recovered the bodies of six deceased hostages from the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza.

The hostages were named Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Haim Perry.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the recovery effort, saying in a statement: "Our hearts ache for the terrible loss. The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages – both alive and dead."

The Hostages Families Forum, an organization that represents most hostage familiesi, welcomed the news but called on Netanyahu's government to conclude a hostage release deal with the militant group Hamas.

"The immediate return of the remaining 109 hostages can only be achieved through a negotiated deal," the group said in a statement, although Israeli authorities believe about a third of those to already be dead.

"The Israeli government, with the assistance of mediators, must do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table."

The recovery operation came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Middle East for the ninth time in an attempt to negotiate a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by many countries including US and Germany.

The war has killed around 40,000 Palestinians and driven over 2 million more from their homes.

mf/rm (Reuters, AP, AFP)