The recovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages in Gaza by the Israeli army is a "failure of the country's leadership," said a body established by the families of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.
In a statement published by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the return of the six bodies is "not a picture of victory, it is a picture of the complete failure of the country's leadership."
On Tuesday, the Israeli army announced that in a joint operation with the Shin Bet, it had recovered the bodies of six hostages who had been held in Gaza since Oct. 7.
The forum called for reaching a prisoner exchange deal to recover all those held in the Palestinian territory.
"After ten and a half months of war, during which the captives suffer and die daily, everyone knows that their return can only be achieved through a deal (with Hamas)," it added.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack last Oct. 7 by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
The Israeli onslaught has resulted in nearly 40,300 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 93,100 injuries, according to local health authorities.
The ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.
Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.
