Israel recovers the remains of 3 hostages from Gaza

The remains of three more hostages held in the Gaza Strip have been recovered, the Israeli military said Sunday, as strikes continued on the Palestinian territory.

The military identified the remains as those of Yonatan Samerano, 21, Ofra Keidar, 70, and Shay Levinson, 19. All three were killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel that sparked the ongoing war. The Iranian-backed militant group is still holding 50 hostages, however, fewer than 25 are believed to be alive.

The military did not provide any details about the recovery operation.

“The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will not rest until we return all of our abductees home — both the living and the dead.”

Kobi Samerano said in a Facebook post that his son’s remains were returned on what would have been Yonatan’s 23rd birthday.

“Jonati, we have been privileged to live by your side 21 and a half years of light, and today, in a new light,” his father wrote on Facebook. “You came back to us, beloved son, wrapped in the light of heroism, of faith, of a whole nation.”

Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack. More than half of the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued alive, and Israeli forces have recovered dozens of bodies.

The Hostages Families Forum, the main organization representing families of the hostages, has repeatedly called for a deal to release the remaining captives.

“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 any sort of victory,” it said in a statement Sunday.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.

The Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s offensive ignited a chain of events leading to Israel’s surprise attack on Iran last week. The United States acted overnight with attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites, with President Trump calling them a “spectacular military success.” 

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, which has said that women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Four people were killed on Sunday in an airstrike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were brought. It said another 22 people were wounded while waiting for aid trucks.

Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds seeking desperately needed food, killing hundreds of people in recent weeks. The military says it has fired warning shots at people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner.

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