Israeli forces have retrieved the bodies of three hostages who had been held in the Gaza Strip since Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, launched its 2023 attack, according to statements by the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
The hostages were identified as civilians Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson.
All were killed on the day of the attack, on October 7, 2023, the military said.
With their retrieval, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
The kidnapping of Samerano, who was 21 years old at the time of his death, was recorded on CCTV. Israeli officials later identified the abductor as a worker at UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
The ensuing Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 55,000 Palestinians, reported by health authorities in the Hamas-governed region. It has displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, triggered a humanitarian crisis, and left significant destruction throughout the territory.
