Israel recovered the bodies of three more hostages held by Hamas following the terror group’s attack on Israel in October 2023.
The bodies of the three hostages were retrieved by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a special operation on Saturday, confirmed as those of Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano, and Shay Levinson, as per the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.
“Our hearts go out to the Keidar, Samerano, and Levinson families today,” the organization stated. “While grief and sorrow remain, their return offers some solace to families who have endured 625 days of agony, uncertainty, and doubt.”
The group added that the return of all hostages is essential for national healing and recovery.
Samerano, who was 21 when he died, “was violently killed and taken from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, by Hamas militants, including an employee of UNRWA, after escaping the Nova music festival,” reported the IDF.
The body of Yonatan Samerano was recovered by Israeli forces. He was 21 when he died. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters)
Yonatan, or “Yonati” as his friends and family called him, “was always surrounded by friends – a talented DJ who just wanted to make music, bring joy, and travel,” the Hostage Families Forum said.
“Even at his young age, he was an entrepreneur at heart and a savvy businessman who dreamed of developing his career in event production.”
Levinson, a staff sergeant and tank commander in the “Oz” (77) Battalion, “engaged and fought terrorists on the morning of October 7 and fell in combat,” according to the IDF.
The body of Shay Levinson was recovered by Israeli forces. He was 19 at the time of his death. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters)
“He was then abducted by Hamas terrorists.”
Levinson, who was 19 years old at the time of his death, is remembered as “a quiet and exceptional young man – ambitious and driven, who pushed himself to excel in sports and every field that interested him,” the Hostage Families Forum said.
“Shay, a resident of Givat Avni in the Lower Galilee, was an outstanding player on the M.S. Eilabun volleyball team – a team that serves as a model for Jewish-Arab cooperation,” according to the organization.
“Shay chose to forgo the opportunity to receive active athlete status and instead chose meaningful combat service in the IDF.”
