A man who was presumed to have been taken hostage during the 7 October attack by Hamas has been found dead, the Israeli military has said.

The body of Dolev Yehud, a 35-year-old volunteer medic, was found in the border village where he lived.

After what it described as lengthy forensics, Israel’s military confirmed the remains belonged to Mr Yehud, whose name has also been spelt Yehoud.

It said he was among dozens of residents of the Nir Oz kibbutz who were killed.

Mr Yehud’s wife Sigal, who was nine months pregnant on 7 October, gave birth to their fourth child nine days after the attack, according to Israeli media.

Around 1,200 people were killed in southern Israeli communities during the Hamas attack and around 250 people were taken hostage.

Israeli bombardments and ground operations in the Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

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After the announcement about Mr Yehud, the Israeli government said 120 hostages were believed to still be in Gaza, following the release more than 100 under a truce with Hamas in late November.

Of those, 39 have been declared dead in absentia by Israel, based on witness testimony, forensics and intelligence.

It comes after tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Tel Aviv over the weekend to call for the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the immediate release of hostages.

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An estimated 120,000 people took to the streets to call on the governing coalition to accept a ceasefire deal outlined by US President Joe Biden on Friday, in what was believed to have been the largest demonstration against Mr Netanyahu’s government.

The deal would see the staggered release of hostages captured during Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel in return for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Read more:
What is the ceasefire deal and how would it work?
Biden’s Gaza gamble – diplomatic masterstroke?

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Israel is expanding its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah amid growing criticism over the huge cost in civilian lives and destruction caused by its nearly eight-month war with Hamas.

Elsewhere, the Maldives has said it will ban the entry of Israelis amid public anger in the predominantly Muslim archipelago over the war in Gaza.

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