Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages captured in the 7 October attack. Israeli authorities estimate that around a third of them are dead.
ADVERTISEMENTIsrael has recovered the bodies of six hostages taken in Hamas' 7 October attack that started the Gaza war, the military said in a statement Tuesday.
The bodies were recovered in an overnight operation in southern Gaza. It identified the hostages as Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Haim Perry, without saying when or how they died.
The recovery came as the United States, Egypt, and Qatar were trying to mediate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that would see the release of scores of hostages held by the militant group.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said later on Monday that Israel had agreed to a "bridging proposal" in a peace deal he's proposed.
The "bridging proposal" element of the deal would hold up a ceasefire and release hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, but Hamas has yet to agree to or respond to it.
Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages captured in the 7 October attack. Israeli authorities estimate that around a third of them are dead.
Blinken has not said whether the deal addresses the concerns raised by the Islamic militant group that runs Gaza, and neither did he say how it addressed Israel's demands.
Of some 110 hostages remaining in Gaza who were captured in Hamas' 7 October attack, around 40 are believed to be dead, their bodies held in Gaza. One of the bodies recovered by the Israeli military was that of Avraham Munder.
Kibbutz Nir Oz said that Munder had been killed while held hostage in Gaza "after enduring months of physical and mental torture".
The kibbutz remembered Munder for his "clear voice, warm smile, and boundless love for his family and the kibbutz".
Militants kidnapped Munder on 7 October when they stormed Nir Oz, dragging some 80 of its residents back to Gaza.
Munder's wife, daughter, and grandson were also taken hostage but released during a brief ceasefire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. His son was killed on 7 October.
In total, militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, across southern Israel and took about 250 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.