Israel recovers bodies of three hostages from Gaza

The bodies of Yonatan Samerano, Ofra Keidar and Sgt Shai Levinson were retrieved on Saturday, the IDF confirmed

The bodies of three Israeli hostages have been recovered from the Gaza Strip, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

He confirmed that Yonatan Samrano, Ofra Kedar and Staff Sgt Shai Levinson's remains were retrieved on Saturday in a military operation.

"I thank our commanders and fighters for a successful operation, for their determination and courage," Netanyahu said in a statement.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have recovered the bodies of eight hostages from Gaza so far this month.

"The campaign to return the abductees continues continuously and is taking place in parallel with the campaign against Iran," Netanyahu said.

"We will not rest until we return all of our abductees home - both the living and the dead."

The IDF said the bodies were recovered on Saturday, but did not say where in the Gaza Strip the remains were found.

Ms Keidar was 71 when she was killed at a kibbutz and her body taken into Gaza.

Staff Sgt Levinson "engaged and fought terrorists on the morning of 7 October and fell in combat," the IDF said. He was 19 at the time of his death.

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Samerano's father announced that his son's body had been recovered by the Israeli army.

Posting on Instagram Kobi Samerano wrote: "Yesterday was Yonati's Hebrew birthday. On his 23rd birthday, on the very day he was born, our Yonati was rescued in a heroic operation by the brave soldiers of the IDF and the Shin Bet."

In a statement following the announcement, Israel's Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents some of the hostages' relatives, said: "Our hearts are with the Keidar, Samerano, and Levinson families today.

"Alongside the grief and pain, their return provides some comfort to the families who have waited in agony, uncertainty, and doubt for 625 days.

"Particularly against the backdrop of current military developments and the significant achievements in Iran, we want to emphasize that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving complete Israeli victory.

"There will be no victory until the last hostage returns."

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack on 7 October 2023 in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 54,677 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory's health ministry.

Some 54 of those captured during the attack by Hamas remain in captivity, including 31 the Israeli military says are dead.