Middle-East conflict: Israel recovers bodies of 3 hostages; victims killed in October 7 Hamas assault

The Israeli military has confirmed the recovery of the remains of three hostages from the Gaza Strip, identifying them as Yonatan Samerano, 21, Ofra Keidar, 70, and Shay Levinson, 19.

All three were killed during the Hamas-led assault on 7 October 2023, which triggered the ongoing conflict. The militant group had abducted 251 people in the attack, which also left around 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians. While more than half of the hostages have since been freed through ceasefire deals or other arrangements, around 50 remain in captivity, less than half of whom are believed to be alive.

Kobi Samerano, Yonatan's father, wrote on Facebook that his son’s remains were returned on what would have been his 23rd birthday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented, “The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran.”

Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has so far claimed over 55,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which reports that women and children account for more than half of the dead. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.