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An Israeli government committee has issued a warning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and four more on Monday as part of a years-long investigation into Germany's multibillion-dollar purchase of submarines and missile boats, an episode considered the worst corruption scandal in the country's history. In a statement, the commission said Netanyahu had endangered Israel's security and bypassed official channels with the purchase during a previous term as prime minister. It was unclear whether Netanyahu himself was suspected of corruption in the case, but the commission said it issued the warning to give him and others — including a former defense minister and a former Mossad chief — the opportunity to answer. The prime minister defended himself, saying in a statement from his office that submarines are “a central pillar of Israel's national security.”
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The Israeli army confirmed the death of a missing soldier on October 7. Military officials said in a statement that Sgt. Maj. Muhammad el-Atrash, a soldier of the Bedouin Trackers Unit of the Northern Brigade of the Gaza Division, had been killed in combat and his body was being held in Gaza. Members of his family told Israeli media in December that he was last heard from at Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, the day of the Hamas-led attack that started the war. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of those captured in the attack, acknowledged his death in a statement “with a heavy heart.” According to Israeli officials, around 120 hostages are being held in Gaza and more than a third are believed to be dead.