Israel announced the death of two additional hostages held in Gaza on Monday, as discussions to finalize a ceasefire agreement that would involve the release of approximately 120 captives are scheduled to restart later this week.
The Israeli military continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two hostages, Yagev Buchshtab, a 35-year-old sound technician, and Alex Dancyg, a 76-year-old historian, who were kidnapped from their homes in kibbutzim close to the Gaza border during Hamas's October 7th assault on southern Israel.
An Israeli negotiation team is set to depart on Thursday for mediated talks on a Gaza ceasefire, which will address the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The Hostage Families Forum expressed in a statement, "Yagev and Alex were taken alive and should have returned alive to their families and to their country. Their death in captivity is a tragic indication of the repercussions of delaying negotiations."
Israeli authorities have declared around a third of the remaining hostages in Gaza dead in absentia.
