Netanyahu asks Germany to mediate to return bodies of Israeli soldiers in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to mediate to return the bodies of the Israeli soldiers held in Gaza, PalSawa.com reported Israeli radio saying yesterday.

During a meeting between the two officials held in Berlin, Netanyahu asked Merkel on returning the bodies of the Israeli soldiers believed to have been killed in Gaza during the 51-day Israeli offensive on the enclave in 2014.

“Since Germany has helped us in the past with such issues, I asked them for their help in this case, too,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister praised Merkel’s role regarding the Palestinian-Israeli talks. During the meeting, Merkel stressed that it is not the right time for a two-state solution, saying: “Now is certainly not the time to make really comprehensive progress, but you can achieve improvements in certain places.”

Two Israeli soldiers went missing during Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2014. Israel believes they are being held by the Al-Qassam Brigades, however this has neither been confirmed nor denied by the group.