The bodies of six hostages being held by Hamas have been retrieved from the Gaza Strip, Israel’s military has said.
A statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Chaim Peri and British-Israeli Nadav Popplewell were recovered from the Khan Younis area on Monday.
Five of their deaths had already been announced by Israel, though it was thought Avraham Munder could still be alive.
The overnight recovery operation was carried out by the IDF alongside the security agency Shin Bet.
The six men had all been kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and Kibbutz Nirim, near Israel’s border fence with Gaza, during Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.
In a statement, the Hostage Families Forum said the recovery of the bodies had provided the families with “necessary closure”, adding that the return of the remaining hostages from Gaza “can only be achieved through a negotiated deal”.
In June, Israel confirmed the deaths of Mr Popplewell, 51, Mr Peri, 79, and Mr Metzger, 80. The IDF stated the three men had died during an Israeli operation in Khan Younis.
In July, the IDF also confirmed the deaths of Mr Buchshtab, 35, and Mr Dancyg, 76, stating an investigation was being carried out into the deaths. Israeli media, citing military sources, reported at the time there was a “high probability” that at least one of the men was killed by Israeli fire.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement the bodies were retrieved after a “complex operation”, adding that Israel would keep working on “dismantling Hamas”.
Credit: bbc.com
