Rather than another military operation in Rafah, ‘Majority of people in Israel want a deal to release the hostages’

Let's bring in correspondent Nick Robertson, who joins me now from London with the details and just the devastating news to hear that that the bodies of those 3 hostages had been recovered. Shiny Luke had been as somebody who we've become quite familiar with. Sadly, after October 7th, after photos of her body being driven back into Gaza were made public. Nonetheless, here finally confirmation of her murder, along with two other Israelis who had escaped the Nova Festival. Tell us more about what we're learning. We're learning this was an operation that was combined between the IDF, the military and the intelligence services, the Shin Bet, using intelligence. We understand from from the IDF spokesman that their bodies were found in a tunnel. The the narrative that he has of what happened, I think really underscores just the brutal nature of of every day that the families have to wait for information. Because what what Daniel Hagari has said here is that they were murdered and it was their bodies that were taken to Gaza on October the 7th. So these more than 200 days since where their families have been wondering where they were. Were they in a tunnel? Were they getting enough food? Were they being brutalised? They'd heard the experiences of the other hostages who were released late last year, built up their hopes, had their hopes. Dash built their hopes up, had their hopes dash campaigned day and night for the government to focus on, on, on bringing their loved ones home. And it comes to this and the information is is is shocking I think in itself that Daniel Hagari said they did manage to survive the Nova Music Festival and and run away as a number of people did and and getting 1015 minutes away in their car and taking refuge in missile film a kibbutz that was so close in some ways to putting them in a place of safety. Yet it wasn't because that had been overrun as well. And I remember driving past that kibbutz just a couple of days after October 7th and there were vehicles strewn in the road shot up, babies strollers in the road. It was chaos and and and and carnage there. So for these families now, this is the the knowledge that their loved ones have been found, that their bodies have been recovered and another phase, if you will, of their suffering can begin after they can give them a dignified burial at home. It's what all the families are asking for, yeah. And just to learn more of the the horrific details that these three managed to escape one terror scene only to find shelter or what they thought was shelter in another and be so brutally murdered, where does this put the hostage negotiation talks and talks of a ceasefire now in terms of this is government in Israel what the Prime Minister is saying? The focus thus far has been on Rafa and its operations this past few days and past week. Once again, though, that this highlights the plight of these hostages and the fact that these family members are so desperate to get a deal done to bring the remaining hostages home, it really does. It throws it into very sharp focus. Just last week, Hamas said that they signed up to a hostage release deal that Israel hadn't been partied to the details of and wasn't in the scope of what they were set willing to agree to. But what Hamas did by literally setting out how many hostages and which hostages not by name but by category would be released and how many of their prisoners they would want released, really built the hopes up so many families that a deal was sort of almost within grasp. Again another very brutal moment and and a manipulation by Hamas certainly that's what most people how most people interpret it. But it it it, it also put pressure on the government and and for the public. There was polling last week that said rather than another military operation in Rafa to to clear out the last of Hamas and get to the leadership there. The majority of people in Israel surveyed in that poll said that they wanted a deal to release the hostages. So this really heightens that and for hostage families. Now one of the main forums have said, look, the recovery of these three and they're bringing home with their remains for burial in Israel is just a reminder that that's what we want. We want all of them brought back to Israel. So I think part you have that real pressure on the government, public pressure on the streets, demonstrations that they should cut a deal and not go for the military option at the moment and the IDF this week in Gaza in ongoing battles, losing a number of soldiers. So there's a real need to show by the government and the IDF that they really are getting something done. They are bringing some of the hostages home. And it's a, it's a pressure on the Prime Minister as well to show that he does prioritize the hostages, even though many people think that that that's not at the top of his list. Quite an emotional week that comes to an end now with this devastating news that started with Israel's Memorial Day, followed by its Independence Day, and then obviously that this horrific news as well. Nick Robertson, thank you.