Recovery of bodies a 'painful reminder' of hostages still in Gaza
The recovery of the bodies of three hostages from Gaza is a "painful reminder" of those who are still in captivity, says a member of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Professor Hagai Levine said over the last day, rumours circulating about which bodies had been returned to Israel were "very painful for the families" of all the captives.
It was important to bring home the bodies of hostages to give their families closure, he said.
"We do not lose hope. We are preparing for the return of the hostages that are alive," he said.
"As long as we promote a solution to release the hostages, it will also help to prevent further bloodshed in Gaza."
Turning to the approach the Israeli government has taken, Mr Levine said the government "is not representing well the desires of the public".
"There is a majority in Israel that believe that we should now promote regional agreements and together with the moderate countries, not the extremists, we should kick out Hamas... and replace them with another kind of government.
"This could really bring peace and prosperity to the Palestinians and to Israelis and to the entire region and we feel that the government is not doing enough."