Israeli opposition head asks UK to intervene with Hamas

JERUSALEM

Issac Herzog, an Israeli opposition leader and leader of the Zionist Union party, has asked for the U.K.’s help in securing the return of the bodies of slain Israeli soldiers held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

According to Israeli Radio, Herzog, at a meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, asked the British government to use its influence on Hamas to secure the return of the bodies of soldiers slain during Israel’s 2014 military onslaught against the Gaza Strip.

He also requested British help in securing the release of two Israeli nationals who are purportedly being held in the Hamas-run coastal enclave.

"London should continue its quest to move the political peace process [forward] between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of a two-state solution and in cooperation with moderate Arab states," Herzog was quoted as saying.

Johnson arrived in the region on Tuesday for an official visit to both Israel and Palestine, during which he will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian FM Riyad al-Maliki.

In mid-2014, the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, announced it was holding four Israeli soldiers without revealing whether they were dead or alive.

According to the Israeli government, the bodies of soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul -- both of whom were killed during the 2014 conflict -- are still being held by the Gaza-based resistance group.

The Israeli Defense Ministry later categorized the pair as "missing in action or captive".