The Israeli army says the bodies of three captives who were killed during the October 7 attacks by Palestinian groups on southern Israel have been recovered from the Gaza Strip.
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement on Friday that the bodies of Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila and Shani Louk were found during an operation by the army and the country’s internal security service, Shin Bet.
Hagari said the three “were murdered by Hamas while escaping the Nova music festival” on October 7 and “their bodies were taken into Gaza”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the operation and offered his condolences to the families.
“We will return all of our hostages, the living and the deceased alike,” he said. “I commend our brave forces whose determined action has returned the sons and daughters to their own border.”
The announcement was made as Israel continues to bombard Gaza, where its military offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians and spurred a dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.
More than 1,100 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on October 7 while 253 were taken captive. The Israeli envoy to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, told a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday that 132 captives remained in Gaza.
Last week, Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, released a video announcing British-Israeli captive Nadav Popplewell’s death. The group said Popplewell had died of wounds sustained in an Israeli air strike a month ago.
The video was released amid growing domestic pressure on the Israeli government to secure the release of the remaining captives.
Thousands of Israelis, including relatives and other loved ones of those still held in Gaza, have taken to the streets in recent days to demand that Netanyahu do more to free them.
Many have also called on Israel to agree to a ceasefire to bring their relatives home safely.
Reporting from Amman, Jordan, on Friday, Al Jazeera’s…
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