The Defense Forces of Israel (FDI) confirmed on Friday (29) that they recovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages in the Gaza range that had been kidnapped by the terrorist group Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Among them is 56 -year -old Ilan Weiss, who was a member of the Kibibutz Be’eri emergency team, murdered during the terrorist invasion and taken to the enclave. The second rescued body has not yet officially disclosed, and is undergoing identification process at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine Abu Kabir in Tel Aviv.
According to the Israeli army, the operation to recover the bodies in Gaza was conducted by the Southern Command with the support of Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet Internal Safety Service. The action also had collaboration of the hostage and missing families forum. The rescue of the bodies was described by the FDI as “complex”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented the deaths and praised the military who participated in the operation to recover hostage bodies in Gaza. He stated that Israel will “not rest until all hostages return – the living to the hug of their families, and the dead to be buried with dignity.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also provided condolences.
“I present my profound condolences to the family of Ilan Weiss. He participated with the courage of the defensive battle in Be’eri and avoided an even greater tragedy alongside other heroes,” he said. Katz also stressed the determination of his country’s security forces that, he said, will not stop or rest “until everyone goes home.”
The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, highlighted the symbolism of the rescue of the body of Weiss.
“692 days after being brutally kidnapped with his wife Shiri and his daughter Noga, Ilan’s body was recovered. A moment of deep pain, but also of closing,” he said. Herzog added, “Ilan showed courage and noble spirit when he faced the terrorists on that dark day. In his death he gave life. Since then, his family has shown extraordinary strength in his struggle for his return.”
Herzog also appealed to the international community to press for the immediate liberation of other hostages: “The world needs to show moral clarity, apply pressure and act for the immediate liberation of all hostages.”
According to official data, they still remain in Gaza 48 Israeli hostages, of which only 20 would be alive. Weiss’s wife and daughter were released in November 2023 during a temporary truce mediated by US, Qatar and Egypt.
