Israel recovers bodies of three hostages in Gaza
IDF soldiers, in coordination with the General Security Service, recovered and returned to Israel the remains of three hostages: Yonatan Samerano, Ofra Keidar, and Sergeant Shai Levinson.
The operation took place overnight. Following identification at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, the families were informed of the outcome.
Yonatan Samerano, 21, was attending the Nova music festival in Western Negev when Hamas launched its attack on Israel. He and two friends fled to Kibbutz Be'eri, but Hamas militants had already infiltrated the area. The three were killed, and their bodies taken into the Gaza Strip.
Samerano's abduction was captured on CCTV. Israeli authorities later claimed his captor was an employee of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
Germany expressed condolences to the family of 19-year-old Shai Levinson, who held dual Israeli-German citizenship.
Tank crew commander Shai Levinson, a sergeant in the IDF's 7th Armoured Division, was killed in a battle with militants on October 7. His death was officially reported in January 2024.
Ofra Keidar, 71, was out for a walk early on the morning of October 7 when she too was killed by Hamas - her body was taken to Gaza. Her husband was shot by the attackers inside their home. Before she died, Ofra told her loved ones over the phone that she was being shot.
Today, around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, and intelligence assessments suggest that only about 20 of them are still alive.
According to Israeli authorities, approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack on southern Israel.
In response, Israel launched a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. According to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run territory, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 55,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children.
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