In a social media post Thursday morning, he said the military is intensifying its mine clearing efforts in the critical waterway.
The search is on for one missing U.S. service member while another was rescued after two U.S. warplanes went down in separate incidents.
The death toll from the war is now 1,900+ people in Iran and nearly 1,100 people in Lebanon, with dozens more killed in Israel.
The hostages, all men, have arrived back in Israel, where they will reunite with family and undergo medical checks.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
It’s been two years since thousands of Hamas-led militants poured into southern Israel after a surprise barrage of rockets.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations have tried to end the fighting and bring back the hostages.
As part of the agreement, Israel was supposed to release the prisoners last weekend after Hamas freed hostages from its Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
The incident raised new doubts about the future of the fragile ceasefire deal, which has paused over 15 months of war.
The remains were presumed to be of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted.
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