The hostages were identified as 71-year-old Ofra Keidar, 22-year-old Jonathan Samerano, and 19-year-old Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson

By Titilope Adako

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have recovered the bodies of three Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip during a joint overnight operation with the Shin Bet security service.

The hostages were identified as 71-year-old Ofra Keidar, 22-year-old Jonathan Samerano, and 19-year-old Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson.

According to the IDF, the operation was executed by the Gaza Division based on “precise intelligence” from the Hostages Headquarters unit, the Military Intelligence Directorate, and the Shin Bet.

Keidar was murdered by Hamas-led militants during the October 7, 2023, attack on Kibbutz Be’eri and later abducted to Gaza.

Samerano, who had fled the Nova music festival with two friends and sought refuge in Be’eri, was killed alongside his companions, and his body was taken to Gaza.

Levinson, a tank commander deployed near the Gaza border, was killed in action while confronting Hamas fighters around the Nova festival area. His body was also taken.

All three bodies have been returned to Israel for forensic identification at the Abu Kabir institute, and their families have been informed.

Israeli authorities report that 50 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, with at least 28 confirmed dead, 20 believed to be alive, and two unaccounted for.

Hamas also continues to hold the body of an Israeli soldier who died during the 2014 conflict.

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