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Source: https://www.jpost.com/israeli-news/article-711736
Israel: No Gaza Arrangement without Return of Captives
(Jerusalem Post) Tovah Lazaroff - Any agreement on Gaza must include the return of the two Israeli citizen captives and the bodies of the two fallen soldiers, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Sunday at a state ceremony at Jerusalem's Mt. Herzl military cemetery to mark the eighth anniversary of the 2014 Gaza war, in which Israel lost 68 soldiers. Hamas has held onto the bodies of two IDF soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul. Two Israeli civilians who suffered from psychological illness, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayad, wandered into Gaza after the war and are held captive by Hamas. "Without their [return], there cannot be a full arrangement in the Gaza Strip beyond humanitarian assistance," Gantz said. "We have nothing against the residents of Gaza. On the contrary, we want their well-being and prosperity. This is Hamas working against them, against their interests. It is Hamas that cynically...trades in blood and holds captive innocent civilians."