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The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said that they have recovered the body of an Israeli soldier, who was abducted and killed by Hamas on October 7, from the southern Gaza Strip in an overnight operation, according to a report read more
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The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said that they have recovered the body of an Israeli soldier, who was abducted and killed by Hamas on October 7, from the southern Gaza Strip in an overnight operation.
According to a Times of Israel report, following the overnight operation, 103 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
During a weeklong truce in late November, Hamas released 105 civilians, and an additional four hostages were freed before that. Troops have rescued eight hostages alive and recovered the bodies of 31 hostages, including three who were accidentally killed by the military while attempting to escape.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in 2014.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences to the family of the slain soldier.
Netanyahu also thanked the security forces who took part in the operation to bring the body back to Israel.
“Israel will continue to do all it can to return hostages home, those who are alive and those who have fallen,” Times of Israel quoted Netanyahu as saying.
In a post on X, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also commended security forces for the operation.
“I commend the IDF and ISA forces who conducted a bold operation to retrieve the body of a fallen soldier from Gaza, and brought him home for burial in Israel. The soldier fell in combat during the Hamas attack on October 7th,” posted Gallant.
I commend the IDF and ISA forces who conducted a bold operation to retrieve the body of a fallen soldier from Gaza, and brought him home for burial in Israel. The soldier fell in combat during the Hamas attack on October 7th.
This operation reflects our commitment to bringing…
“This operation reflects our commitment to bringing all the hostages home,” he added.
With inputs from agencies
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