Overview

• Hamas published a photomontage showing 47 hostages with the name 'Ron Arad' under each photo, invoking a symbol of a soldier long missing and presumed irretrievable.
• The image carried a warning in Arabic and Hebrew that blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir for refusing a deal and for the Gaza City operation.
• Following earlier threats that no captives would return if fighting in Gaza City resumed, Hamas reportedly moved hostages out of tunnels and dispersed them across neighborhoods.
• The Israeli military launched a renewed and controversial ground offensive in Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain, prompting fears hostages could be used as human shields.
• Israeli authorities say about 20 of the remaining hostages are alive, including some foreign nationals reported as German citizens.