Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Captured Israeli aviator 'has died': "Hezbollah has told Israel, through the United Nations, that an Israeli aviator who has been listed as missing in Lebanon since 1986, is dead, according to a newspaper report.
Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday that Gerhard Konrad, a UN hostage negotiator, had delivered a message from the Shia group saying that Ron Arad had died.
Arad's death was revelealed one day after Israel approved the release of five Lebanese prisoners in return for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers captured in 2006.
Israeli authorities had said a prisoner swap deal with Hezbollah would only go ahead once they received information on Arad's fate.
Hezbollah has said in the past that Arad was believed to be dead.
However, Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, told his ministers on Sunday: 'It has been over 20 years since Ron's disappearance, we have no certain information about what happened to him at all.'"
Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday that Gerhard Konrad, a UN hostage negotiator, had delivered a message from the Shia group saying that Ron Arad had died.
Arad's death was revelealed one day after Israel approved the release of five Lebanese prisoners in return for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers captured in 2006.
Israeli authorities had said a prisoner swap deal with Hezbollah would only go ahead once they received information on Arad's fate.
Hezbollah has said in the past that Arad was believed to be dead.
However, Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, told his ministers on Sunday: 'It has been over 20 years since Ron's disappearance, we have no certain information about what happened to him at all.'"
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