
Remains of three Israeli hostages recovered from Gaza
The military identified the remains as those of Yonatan Samerano, 21; Ofra Keidar, 70; and Shay Levinson, 19. All three were killed during Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack into Israel that ignited the ongoing war.
The militant group is still holding 50 hostages, with less than half of them believed to be alive.
The military did not provide any details about the recovery operation, and it is unclear if an air strike which killed four Palestinians was related to it.
'The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Kobi Samerano said in a Facebook post that his son's remains were returned on what would have been Yonatan's 23rd birthday.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack. More than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued alive and Israeli forces have recovered dozens of bodies.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Four people were killed on Sunday in an air strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were brought. It said another 22 people were injured while waiting for aid trucks.
Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds seeking desperately needed food, killing hundreds of people in recent weeks. The military says it has fired warning shots at people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner.
The Hostages Families Forum, the main organization representing families of the hostages, has repeatedly called for a deal to release the remaining captives.
'Particularly against the backdrop of current military developments and the significant achievements in Iran, we want to emphasise that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving any sort of victory,' it said in a statement on Sunday.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Even then, he has said Israel will maintain lasting control over Gaza and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population, plans the Palestinians and others view as forcible expulsion.
Separately, World Central Kitchen, the charity run by celebrity chef Jose Andres, said it had resumed the distribution of hot meals in Gaza for the first time in six weeks after shutting down because of Israel's blockade, which was loosened last month amid fears of famine.
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The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Israel recovers bodies of three hostages held in Gaza
Israel announced on Sunday it had recovered the bodies of two civilians and one soldier held hostage in Gaza, amid its ongoing wars with Hamas and Iran. The Israeli military said it recovered the remains of hostages Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and staff sergeant Shay Levinson in an operation in Gaza on Saturday, more than 20 months after they were abducted by Hamas militants. 'In a special operation … the bodies of the hostages Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and staff sergeant Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip yesterday,' the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. The hostage families forum said in a statement the return of the bodies 'provides some comfort to the families who have waited in agony, uncertainty, and doubt for 625 days'. The group further urged the Israeli government to return the remaining 50 hostages from Gaza, which it said was the 'key to achieving complete victory'. The group described Samerano as 'a talented DJ who just wanted to make music, have fun, and travel'. Keidar, a 71-year-old, lived in the Be'eri kibbutz, where over a 100 people were killed. The return of the hostages came as some of the families of those abducted feared that Israel's war with Iran, which started on 13 June, would distract from efforts to return the remaining captives. Hamas-led miltiants took 251 people hostage during its 7 October 2023 attack in Israel, as well as killing 1,200 people. Of the remaining hostages, Israel believes about 30 to be dead. On Sunday, Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, called for the 'urgent release' of the remaining hostages after the US carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 'This brave step serves the security and safety of the entire free world. I hope it will lead to a better future for the Middle East – and help advance the urgent release of our hostages held in captivity in Gaza,' Herzog wrote on X. Some families of the hostages protested against the Israeli government's resumption of the war in Gaza in March and have said a ceasefire is the only way to safely recover those remaining. Fighting resumed after Israel declined to move to a second phase of an agreed-upon ceasefire that could have led to a permanent end to the war. Israel continues its operations in Gaza, where more than 55,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed over the last 20 months.


Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Israel recovers bodies of three hostages from Gaza
Israel has recovered the bodies of three hostages who were killed on Oct 7 from Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces has announced. The remains of Ofra Keidar, Jonathan Samerano and Shay Levinson were brought back to Israel following a military operation overnight on Saturday. The hostages families' group welcomed their return and renewed calls for the government to strike a deal with Hamas for the 50 remaining hostages, of whom 20 are thought to be alive. Ms Keidar, 71, was murdered by terrorists while taking an early morning walk near her home in the kibbutz of Be'eri on Oct 7. Her body was taken into Gaza as part of what is believed to have been a deliberate strategy by Hamas to maximise leverage over Israel in the ensuing conflict. Ms Keidar's husband, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, was killed by Hamas on the sofa in his home. Their son, Elad Keidar, said: 'There is comfort – we will finally have a proper grave to visit. This is good news.' 'You have returned to us' Mr Samerano, 21, was at the Nova music festival when the terror attack began and fled towards Be'eri with two friends, but were killed. His death was confirmed in December 2023 following footage from a kibbutz security camera showing terrorists loading him into a jeep. His body was recovered on what would have been his 23rd birthday. Kobi Samerano, his father, wrote on social media: 'Yonati [Jonathan], we were blessed to live by your side for 21 and a half years of light,' he said. 'You have returned to us, beloved son, wrapped in the light of heroism, of faith, of a nation united.' The IDF claim that one of his captors was an employee of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Mr Levinson was a 19-year-old tank commander based on the Gaza border. He was killed while fighting the invading terrorists near the Nova festival. The soldier was a dual German-Israeli citizen. On Sunday, Steffen Seibert, Germany's ambassador, expressed his condolences to the family. Writing on X, he said: 'I just spoke to his father; our hearts are with his family and all others waiting for their loved-ones' return. There must be a deal to get them out and end this war.' The IDF continues to suffer casualties as it battles Hamas in Gaza. NGOs believe large numbers of people are now facing starvation, as Israel's controversial new aid distribution system struggles to make up for the previously allowed hundreds of aid trucks a day, which the government said were often seized by Hamas. With the eyes of the world diverted by the new conflict with Iran, mass killings of civilians near the aid sites have continued, with witnesses accusing Israeli troops of opening fire. The IDF said it investigates reports of such killings, while Israeli sources also point to Hamas's campaign of intimidation against civilians.


Reuters
37 minutes ago
- Reuters
Advisory warns of 'heightened threat environment' in US after Iran strikes
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