The Israeli military announced the recovery of the bodies of three hostages in Gaza, more than 20 months after they were taken by Hamas militants.
“In a special operation… the bodies of the hostages Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano, and Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson were retrieved from the Gaza Strip yesterday,” stated the military.
Earlier on Sunday, Mr. Samerano’s father confirmed that his son’s body, which had been taken into Gaza following his murder at a kibbutz on 7 October 2023, had been recovered by the Israeli army.
He expressed gratitude to “the brave soldiers of the IDF (Israeli military) and the Shin Bet” security service in an Instagram post.
The assault by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 individuals, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally relying on official reports.
From the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, with 27 identified by the Israeli military as deceased.
Israel’s retaliatory military actions have resulted in at least 55,908 fatalities, also largely civilians, as reported by the Gaza health ministry in the Hamas-controlled area. The UN regards these figures as credible.
