Netanyahu: Israel won't return dead militants as 'free gift'
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not return the bodies of five Palestinian militants killed last week in a tunnel demolition as a "free gift."
The comment implied that Israel will hold on to the bodies until Hamas militants agree to return the remains of two soldiers killed in a 2014 war, as well as two live Israeli civilians believed held in the Gaza Strip.
"We will bring our boys home, there are no free gifts," Netanyahu said Monday.
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Israel announced Sunday that it was holding the remains of five militants killed last week when it destroyed a tunnel running from Gaza into Israel.
The family of one of the dead soldiers has urged the government not to return the militants' bodies.