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Orion Hernandez, Hanan Yablonka and Michel Nisenbaum

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Top line

Israeli officials found the bodies of three more hostages they said were killed on October 7 and taken to Gaza during Hamas’ attack on Israel, bringing the total number of dead hostages found in the last week to seven.

Key data

The Israeli armed forces have recovered the bodies of 30-year-old Orion Hernandez Radoux, 42-year-old Hanan Yablonka and 59-year-old Michel Nisenbaum as part of a joint special operation with the Israeli secret service Shin Bet, the Israeli armed forces announced on Friday.

Yablonka and Hernandez were both at the Nova music festival – Hernandez, an Israeli-French citizen, was the boyfriend of Shani Louk, another hostage whose body was recovered last week and who became a symbol of Hamas violence when a video of her unconscious in the back of a Hamas truck was shared online immediately after the attack.

Nisenbaum, an Israeli-Brazilian citizen, was on his way to pick up his four-year-old granddaughter when he was killed and abducted by Hamas, according to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari.

The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet followed intelligence to the Gaza neighborhood of Jabaliya, where the bodies were found. Families were notified after identification was complete.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “deep sadness” over the death of French citizen Hernandez and stressed that France was “more committed than ever to the release of all hostages”.

Important background

On October 7, Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages. Hamas fighters attacked the Nova music festival, among other venues. It was the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history. The attack prompted Israel to invade Gaza and start the now eight-month-long war between Israel and Hamas. Negotiations with Hamas over the remaining hostages and possible ceasefire agreements have continued intermittently, with no real progress. The war has also drawn world attention to Israel, which has been accused of killing too many civilians and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza – allegations that Israel denies.

What you should pay attention to

The United Nations International Court of Justice is expected to rule today on whether Israel should halt its military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Israel is conducting military operations there despite global opposition to attacking Rafah, which is home to more than a million refugees fleeing fighting in other parts of Gaza. South Africa brought the case to the International Court of Justice, asking it to order a halt to the Israeli offensive. Arguments were presented last week. The ICJ ruling is not enforceable, although it is considered legally binding.

Big number

121. That is the number of hostages believed to still be in Gaza, although not all of them are believed to be alive, according to the Times of Israel. So far, the bodies of 19 hostages have been recovered, including three who were accidentally killed by Israeli forces, according to the Times of Israel.

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