Mother of 5 Hamas hostage found dead near Gaza hospital
What's the story
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday claimed to have found the body of a hostage who was abducted by Hamas terrorists during their October 7 attack near Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital.
Identified as 65-year-old Yehudit Weiss, the hostage was extracted by the IDF troops from a structure adjacent to the hospital.
It is also learned that the victim used to work with kindergarten kids.
Details
IDF provides details on abduction
Providing further details, the IDF took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, "On October 7, Yehudit was abducted by Hamas from her home in Kibbutz Be'eri. Her husband, Shmulik Weiss, was murdered in their home."
"AK-47s, RPGs, and other military equipment were also found where Yehudit's body was located," they wrote in the post.
Furthermore, the Israeli military confirmed that Shmulik and Yehudit were parents to five children.
Twitter Post
Check out IDF's post on Yehudit
Yehudit Weiss was a 65-year-old who worked with kindergarten kids.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 16, 2023
On October 7, Yehudit was abducted by Hamas from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Her husband, Shmulik Weiss, was murdered in their home. Yehudit and Shmulik were parents to 5 children.
IDF soldiers recovered her… pic.twitter.com/Y7tpt8nU3o
Teen
19-year-old's body also extracted by IDF troops
The body of Corporal Noa Marciano, 19, was also discovered and extracted by IDF troops near Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital.
She was among the 240 people kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.
The soldier's death was confirmed by the Israeli military a few days ago after she appeared in a video released by Hamas on Monday. Marciano was serving as a lookout at the Nahal Oz kibbutz when she was kidnapped.
What Next?
Increasing death toll in Israel-Hamas war
Hamas launched a surprise cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,200 Israelis and taking 240 hostages. Since then, Israel has increased its military aggression in the Gaza Strip to eliminate the Palestinian terrorist group.
The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry claimed over 11,200 Palestinians had been killed so far, with nearly 4,600 of them being children and 3,100 being women.
Know more
IDF discovers Hamas terror tunnels beneath Gaza hospitals
Israel has been targeting hospitals in Gaza, particularly Al-Shifa Hospital, claiming it houses the command center of Hamas. Health workers and Hamas have refuted the claims.
However, the IDF on Friday claimed to have found Hamas exploiting three of the largest hospitals in Gaza.
While Hamas terror tunnels were uncovered inside the Al-Shifa and Rantisi Hospital complex, the IDF found a large amount of weaponry and ammunition inside the Al-Quds Hospital.
Twitter Post
Here's IDF's post on X
🔻Inside the Al-Quds Hospital, a large amount of weaponry and ammunition were found.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 17, 2023
This was all found over the past 24 hours.
3/3 pic.twitter.com/ZTvLRfQcCo
More information
UN Security Council adopts resolution for humanitarian pauses in Gaza
After four failed attempts, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed its first resolution on Wednesday, calling for "urgent and extended humanitarian pauses" in Gaza.
Introduced by Malta, the resolution secured 12 votes in favor, none against, and three abstentions from the United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), and Russia.
The US and the UK abstained since the resolution failed to condemn Hamas's October 7 attacks, while Russia abstained because it didn't call for a ceasefire.