Israel retrieves bodies of 5 hostages from Gaza, military says

Israeli forces yesterday recovered the bodies of five hostages who were killed on 7 October 2023 and whose bodies were then held in Gaza, Reuters reported the Israeli military saying.

Maya Goren, a 56-year-old kindergarten teacher, was killed during the attack on her kibbutz, Nir Oz, according to Israeli Army Radio.

The other four hostages were two reserve soldiers and two conscript soldiers killed in combat during 7 October, the military said.

Their bodies were retrieved from the area of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, where Israeli forces launched new raids this week.

The five had been listed among 120 hostages still in Gaza, about a third of whom Israel has declared dead in absentia, based on forensic findings, intelligence, interrogations of captured Palestinians, videos and testimony of released hostages.

In a speech to the US Congress yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was actively engaged in intensive efforts to release the remaining hostages which he was confident would succeed. However, to date, Netanyahu has refused to sign a ceasefire deal under which all prisoners of war in Gaza would be released.

READ: 129 Palestinians killed in Israeli onslaught in Khan Yunis since Monday, authorities say