Israel Finds Hostage Killed in Gaza; Cease-Fire Negotiations to Continue

Israel's military announced on Saturday that it had recovered the body of Elad Katzir, a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza. The discovery has increased pressure on the Israeli government to secure the release of the remaining hostages. Negotiators are set to resume talks on Sunday to broker a cease-fire and secure the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war. Israel's army believes Katzir was killed in January by militants with Islamic Jihad, one of the groups that entered southern Israel in the October 7 attack.Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv to call for a deal and early elections as the hostage situation continues. At least 36 hostages have been confirmed dead, with about half of the original number released. Inside Gaza, tens of thousands of deaths and over a million displaced Palestinians are attributed to Israel's offensive. The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths called the prospect of further escalation in Gaza "unconscionable" and noted "the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine."Cease-fire negotiations will resume on Sunday, according to an Egyptian official and Egypt's state-owned Al Qahera TV. US President Joe Biden has sent CIA Director Bill Burns to Egypt, and a Hamas delegation will arrive on Sunday to join the talks. Hamas has insisted on linking a phased end to the war with any agreement releasing hostages. It has said it will agree to release 40 as part of an initial six-week cease-fire deal that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.The talks come days after international condemnation of Israeli airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian workers with the World Central Kitchen charity. The Israeli military described it as a tragic error, but aid groups said such mistakes are not uncommon. The UN says at least 190 aid workers were killed in Gaza through the end of March.Some Israel allies now consider halting arms sales, and Biden warned Netanyahu that future US support for the war depends on swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers. Aid deliveries have been halted on a crucial new sea route for aid directly to Gaza as the UN and partners warn of "imminent famine" for 1.1 million people, or half the population.Israel has promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid. However, the UN says that in March, 85 per cent of trucks with food aid were denied or impeded. The death toll from the war in Gaza is 33,137, according to the territory's Health Ministry.