Israel recovers bodies of three hostages from Gaza, IDF says
Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service and military forces recovered the bodies of three hostages from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
Israeli forces recovered the bodies of Ofra Keidar, 70, Yonatan Samerano, 21 and Shay Levinson, 19 who were abducted by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The Israel Defense Forces recovered their remains after a military operation Saturday in Gaza, the agencies said, adding that the operation was made possible by precise intelligence. The agencies did not say where the bodies had been found in Gaza.
“Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our heartfelt condolences to the dear families and share in their deep sorrow,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an umbrella group representing most of the hostage families from the Oct. 7 attack, said the return of the hostages “provides some comfort to the families who have waited in agony, uncertainty, and doubt for 625 days.”
The group renewed calls for a “comprehensive deal” to return the remaining hostages in Gaza and praised Israel’s recent strikes in Iran as an opportunity to make that deal a reality.
“There is a historic window of opportunity - the significant regional achievements enable Israel to end the war from a position of clear strength,” the group said. “The return of all hostages through a comprehensive deal - this is in Israel’s interest, this is the next stage, and this is the victory of this war. There will be no victory until the last hostage returns.”
Israel estimates that about 50 hostages remain in Gaza out of the 251 who were abducted on Oct. 7. About 23 are believed to be alive.
Keidar, a resident of the farming community Kibbutz Beeri that was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7 was killed while walking through the fields of the kibbutz that morning, according to the IDF. Keidar was a mother of three, according to the IDF, and her husband was also killed in Beeri during the attack.
Keidar worked on a dairy farm for three decades, caring for newborn calves. She later went to work for a local petting zoo, “and even after reaching retirement age, she never slowed down,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
Samerano, a DJ, was attending the Nova music festival when it was attacked by Hamas. Samerano fled to Beeri, where he was also killed, according to the IDF. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Samerano was an entrepreneur beginning a career in event production who wanted to “make music, bring joy, and travel.”
Samerano’s father said on social media that his son’s remains were recovered on what would have been his 23rd birthday.
Levinson, a staff sergeant and tank commander in the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade, “fell in combat” on Oct. 7, the IDF said. Levinson was an avid volleyball player before joining the military.
“He was a quiet and exceptional young man - ambitious and driven, who pushed himself to excel in sports and every field that interested him,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.