Israel Receives Hostage Remains as Violence Escalates Across Gaza, West Bank, and Lebanon

Israel said Tuesday it received remains handed over by Palestinian militants in Gaza to the Red Cross, believed to be those of one of the two hostages still in the territory—an Israeli and a Thai national. The Israeli…

Andrew PowellDec 2, 20252 min read

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on Tuesday.

An Israeli drone strike in the south killed Mahmoud Wadi, a videographer in Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital. Wadi owned a drone photography company and recently posted footage showing destruction in Gaza.

Two other Palestinians were killed in separate incidents: one near the Bureij refugee camp, according to Al-Awda Hospital, and another in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, according to Al-Ahli Hospital.

The Israeli military said troops operating in Gaza killed three people who posed a threat when they crossed into areas Israel controls.

“Troops fired on two people in southern Gaza and one in northern Gaza,” the military said, though it was unclear if these were the same casualties reported by Gaza hospitals.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported more than 350 Palestinians have died since the ceasefire began, with both Hamas and Israel accusing each other of violating the truce.

In the occupied West Bank, Israel’s military killed two Palestinians it said attacked soldiers. One was a suspect who stabbed two soldiers near an Israeli settlement; the other was accused of a car-ramming attack. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified them as 18 and 17 years old.

Israel also demolished the home of Abdul Karim Sanoubar, a suspected Palestinian militant, in Nablus. Troops evacuated 13 nearby homes.

The army said demolitions aim to deter attacks, though critics call them collective punishment. Another home was demolished in Aqabah town following a shooting attack.

On the northern front, Israel launched strikes in southern Lebanon, citing Hezbollah’s failure to disarm after last year’s ceasefire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed calls for a demilitarized buffer in southern Syria, where Israel already controls a 400-square-kilometer area. Syrian officials condemned the incursions.

Pope Leo XIV, departing Lebanon, briefly mentioned the ongoing violence in southern Lebanon and called for peace in the region.