Netanyahu says Israel will block Palestinian state
Netanyahu said he had been blocking Palestinian statehood "for decades."
There are now three remaining deceased hostages in Gaza, following Thursday's return of the body of Meni Goddard. Israeli authorities have been releasing the bodies of Palestinians in exchange for the return of hostage remains.
The ceasefire is broadly holding in Gaza. Elsewhere, Israel is continuing strikes on what it says are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces is also continuing raids in parts of the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, last week that the war "has not ended," warning that "those who seek to do us harm are re-arming."
Netanyahu and other officials, meanwhile, have reiterated their intention to block future Palestinian statehood ahead of a planned United Nations Security Council vote on the U.S. plan for post-war Gaza.
Key Headlines
Body returned to Israel identified as hostage Meni Goddard
A body returned to Israel on Thursday has been identified as abductee Meni Goddard, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
"The Government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Goddard family and all the families of the deceased abductees,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “The Government and the entire Israeli Public Security apparatus are determined, committed and working tirelessly to return all of our deceased abductees for a proper burial in their country.”
There are now three remaining deceased hostages in Gaza.
West Bank mosque torched by Israeli settlers
Israeli settlers are accused of committing an arson attack on the Hajja Hamida Mosque in the occupied West Bank.
Photos show windows smashed and parts of the mosque entirely charred, including the carpet floor and the Quran and other books.
Graffiti was also written in Hebrew on the mosque's back wall, saying, “He will exact vengeance on his enemies,” and, "We are not afraid of you Gen. Avi Bluth,” referring to the chief of the Israel Defense Forces Central Command.
"This assault constitutes a blatant violation of freedom of worship and a provocation of citizens' sentiments, and it comes under the policy of systematic escalation practiced by the government of the occupation and its settlers," the governor of Salfit in the West Bank said in a statement.
The United Nations is “deeply disturbed” by the attack, said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general.
“We have and will continue to condemn attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank,” Dujarric said in a statement. “Israel, as the occupying power, has a responsible party to protect the civilian population and ensure that those responsible for these attacks, including this attack on a mosque and the spray painting of horrendous language on the mosque, be brought to account."
-ABC News’ Camilla Alcini and Will Gretsky
Another body returned to Israel, 3 believed to remain in Gaza
The Red Cross has handed over the coffin of another deceased person to Israeli forces inside Gaza, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.
The deceased will be transferred to Israel and be received in military status with the chief military rabbi before being transferred to the Ministry of Health's National Center for Forensic Medicine, the prime minister's office said. After being identified, an official announcement will be made to the family, the office said.
There are believed to be three remaining hostage bodies in Gaza.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky, Ellie Kaufman and Jordana Miller
2 more deaths reported in Gaza in past 24 hours, officials say
The Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza on Thursday recorded two more deaths and five more wounded people across the strip over the previous 24 hours.
The two deaths included one person who was newly deceased and one person who was recovered from under rubble, the ministry said in a post to Telegram.
The latest casualties bring the total number of dead since Oct. 7, 2023, to 69,187 people, the ministry said, with another 170,703 people injured.
Since the current ceasefire came into force on Oct. 11, 260 people have been killed, 632 people have been wounded and 533 bodies have been recovered from under rubble, the ministry said.