The Israeli army has recovered the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip during a military operation, army reports said on Sunday.
The remains were discovered on Saturday in a coastal area during a joint special operation by the military and the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet.
The army stated that the recovery was made possible by “precise intelligence information.”
The recovered bodies belong to Ofra Keidar, Jonathan Samerano and Shay Levinson.
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Keidar reportedly came from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel. The settlement is located only about 3-4 kilometres from the Gaza Strip.
According to army reports, Keidar was killed during the massacre led by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas on October 7, 2023, and her body was subsequently taken to the Gaza Strip.
Samerano was reportedly at the Nova music festival during the massacre. He fled to Kibbutz Be’eri and was killed by extremists on the way. Levinson served in the army and fell in combat, according to the military. His body was also taken to the Gaza Strip.
The German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, said that Levinson also held German citizenship. Seibert expressed his condolences to Levinson’s family.
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The Hostage Families Forum stated: “Our hearts are with the Keidar, Samerano and Levinson families today. Besides the grief and pain, their return is a certain comfort for the families who have endured fear, uncertainty and doubt for 625 days.”
The forum thanked the authorities but also called for the swift return of the remaining hostages.
Even more than a year and a half after the start of the Gaza war, hostages are still in the Gaza Strip.
Following the recovery of Keidar, Samerano and Levinson, 50 hostages are still believed to be held in the Gaza Strip, of whom, according to official Israeli reports, fewer than half are believed to be alive.