Sri Lankan man taken hostage by Hamas dead

The Sri Lankan man suspected to have been taken hostage by Hamas in Palestine had been confirmed dead, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tel Aviv said.

According to Sri Lankan Ambassador to Israel Nimal Bandara, the 48-year-old man’s death had been confirmed by the Interpol branch of Israel Police after linking the DNA samples of his children to an unidentified body.

Yatawara, a resident of Wennapuwa, travelled to Israel in 2015. The Sri Lankan envoy said Yatawara’s body would be sent to Colombo.

Meanwhile, group of 11 Sri Lankans had reached Egypt via the Rafah border from the war-torn Gaza Strip on Thursday (02), the Representative Office of Sri Lanka in Palestine says. They are now staying at a hotel in Egypt, according to Bennet Cooray, the Sri Lankan Representative to the State of Palestine.