The bodies of three Israeli hostages have been recovered from the Gaza Strip, as confirmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The remains of Yonatan Samerano, Ofra Keidar, and Staff Sgt Shai Levinson were retrieved on Saturday during a military operation. Netanyahu expressed gratitude, stating, “I thank our commanders and fighters for a successful operation, for their determination and courage.”
This month, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have recovered the bodies of eight hostages from Gaza. Netanyahu emphasized the ongoing efforts to secure the return of all abductees, stating, “The campaign to return the abductees continues continuously and is taking place in parallel with the campaign against Iran. We will not rest until we return all of our abductees home – both the living and the dead.”
The IDF provided limited details about the location of the remains within Gaza. Ofra Keidar was 71 years old when she was killed at a kibbutz, and her body was subsequently taken into Gaza. Staff Sgt Levinson, who was 19 at the time of his death, engaged in combat against terrorists on October 7.
On Sunday, Kobi Samerano, the father of Yonatan, announced via Instagram that his son’s body had been recovered by the Israeli army. He noted, “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, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which advocates for the families of hostages, expressed solidarity with the families of Keidar, Samerano, and Levinson. They stated, “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.”