Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The dead bodies of five Israelis, including two soldiers, had been recovered by Israeli troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip.
Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sergeant Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sergeant Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, were all previously declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). All five were killed during the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack and their bodies were taken to Gaza.
Their remains were located in Khan Younis by troops, including special forces under the IDF’s 98th Division and Shin Bet agents, the military and security agency said in a statement early on July 25.
According to the statement, Shin Bet interrogations of detained terrorists in Gaza and other intelligence allowed troops to reach the site in Khan Younis and recover the bodies on July 24, amid a new offensive in the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
It is reported that some 111 hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack remain in Gaza -not all of them are thought to be alive- after 105 civilians were released from captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that.
Seven hostages have been freed by Israeli troops alive, and the bodies of 24 hostages have also been recovered, including at least three who were mistakenly killed by the IDF.
Hamas warned more than once that Israeli military operations in Gaza were threatening remaining hostages there. Still, the IDF expanded its operations in recent months, especially in the area of Rafah in the southern part of the Strip, which hosts more than 1,4 displaced Palestinians, and another in Jabalia.
Israel’s failure to resolve the issue of hostages though military or diplomatic means highlights the lack of a real plan for the war in Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 39,000 Palestinians most of whom were women and children.
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