1 of 1 The death of 19yearold Levinson Shay was confirmed by Israel Photo: Reproduction The death of 19yearold Levinson Shay was confirmed by Israel Photo: Reproduction
Israel's army confirmed this Sunday (21) the death of a soldier who was held hostage by Hamas. Sergeant Shay Levinson, 19, was a military fighter and was kidnapped by the terrorist group.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, the family has been notified and is being accompanied. There is no information about how he was killed. According to the AFP news agency, the body remains in the Gaza Strip.
The display increases to 28 The number of hostages killed and their bodies are held in Palestinian territoryaccording to an AFP report based on Israeli data.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under political pressure because of his war strategy in his country.
Although a large part of the population supports the military response, Rescuing the 130 hostages remaining with Hamas should be a priority.
In its surprise attack in southern Israel in October 2023, Hamas killed around 1,300 people and took 240 hostages. Following the offensive, Israel's response saw nearly 25,000 people in Gaza controlled by the terrorist group killed, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.
About 100 of them were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a ceasefire in late November. According to the Israeli authorities, 132 people are still in the Gaza Strip.
The prime minister's main goal, sometimes cited since the start of the conflict, is the destruction of Hamas.
Adding to the pressure are reports that the prime minister and defense minister Yoav Gallant are barely speaking, at a time when the rift between Israel and its Western allies is widening.
After Netanyahu's comments about creating a Palestinian state, White House national security adviser John Kirby said the United States and Israel “clearly see things differently.”
A State Department spokesman said there would be no way to solve Israel's security challenges without a Palestinian state.
Israeli Fund for Palestinians
Also this Sunday, Israel's Council of Ministers approved a plan for third countries to begin managing a tax fund for Palestinians that is currently frozen.
The fund is generated through taxes collected in Israel by the Ministry of Finance and is returned to the ANP on a monthly basis.
Despite outsourcing the administration, Israel still claims the right to decide when the money will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PNA), which rules the West Bank, still in line with the plan.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which manages the fund, also said this Sunday that it would have the money in full and would not accept any conditions.
“Any deduction of our financial rights or any condition imposed by Israel that prevents the PNA from paying our people in Gaza is rejected by us,” Hussein AlSheikh, secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee, said on the social media platform .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Cabinet's decision had the support of Norway and the United States, which will ensure the fund remains in force.