The Israeli military said Sunday, June 22, that it had recovered the bodies of three hostages in Gaza more than 20 months after they were abducted by Hamas militants. “In a special operation (…) the bodies of the hostages Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip yesterday,” the military said in a statement.
Samerano’s father had announced earlier Sunday that his son’s body, which was taken into Gaza after he was killed in a kibbutz by the territory on October 7, 2023, had been recovered by the Israeli army. He paid tribute to “the brave soldiers of the [Israeli military] and the Shin Bet” security service in a message posted on Instagram. The Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Samerano as “a talented DJ who just wanted to make music, have fun, and travel.”
Keidar, a 71-year-old mother of three, was a resident of a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri – where over a 100 people were killed.
Levinson, a 19-year-old tank commander, “engaged and fought terrorists on the morning of October 7 and fell in combat,” a statement from the military said.
Following the news, the forum repeated their frequent calls for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, writing on social media: “The hostages have no time. We must bring them ALL home, Now!”
The attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people. Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign against Hamas has killed at least 55,908 people, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Released hostages have reported that they were beaten and tortured by Hamas militants, while held in isolation in tunnels snaking underneath Gaza.
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On Sunday, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called for the “urgent release” of the remaining hostages after the United States carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. “This brave step serves the security and safety of the entire free world. I hope it will lead to a better future for the Middle East – and help advance the urgent release of our hostages held in captivity in Gaza,” Herzog wrote on X.
