Israeli military recovers bodies of three more hostages killed on October 7 from Gaza

The bodies of three more hostages killed in Hamas attacks on October 7 were recovered in a nighttime operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said on Friday.

Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum and Orion Hernandez were killed at the Mefalsim junction on October 7 and their bodies taken to Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said on Friday morning, citing intelligence information.

Their bodies were recovered in the Jabalia camp in the north of the Gaza Strip during a joint night operation by the Israeli military and Israeli domestic intelligence service that saw “intense fighting” in the area, the military said.

The families of the three men were informed of the discovery of their bodies on Friday after they were officially identified by medical staff at the Israel National Forensic Institute, the Israeli army said.

According to Israeli authorities, around 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on October 7 and around 250 others were taken hostage in Gaza. Around 125 people are still being held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

According to the Palestinian enclave’s Health Ministry, more than 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the months since Israel began its offensive following Hamas’s October 7 attacks, which marked a significant escalation in a decades-long conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife mourned the deaths of the three returned men and praised the Israeli military for acting “with great courage in the heart of enemy territory to return them to their families and to the grave of Israel.”

“We have a national and moral duty to do everything in our power to restore the lives and habitat of those abducted, and that is exactly what we are doing,” he said.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of hostages held in Gaza, said on Friday that the “sad return of Michel, Hanan and Oryon is another heartbreaking blow to the 125 families of the hostages who share the pain, grief and endless worry.”

While the return of the bodies offered closure to the families, the forum said, it was also a reminder of the need for the Israeli government to “immediately send negotiating teams” to broker a ceasefire that would include the return of the remaining hostages held in Gaza and an end to fighting in the enclave.

This is a developing story, please check back later for updates.