Jerusalem:
The Israeli military on Friday confirmed the deaths of 5 hostages held in Gaza, saying their households had been knowledgeable, and the physique of considered one of them returned to Israel.
“In recent days, the IDF and Israel police notified the families of the hostages Eliyahu Margalit, Maya Goren, Ronen Engel and Arye Zalmanovitz about their deaths,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari stated.
He additionally stated troops had introduced again the physique of a fifth individual that he recognized as Ofir Tsarfati.
Hagari stated Gaza operatives had been nonetheless holding “136 hostages, among them 17 women and children”.
In a separate assertion, the military stated Tsarfati’s physique had been “located in recent days” in Gaza by troops and members of the Shin Wager inner safety service and delivered to Israel for burial.
It stated the household was knowledgeable about his demise on Wednesday.
Tsarfati was kidnapped from a rave social gathering close to the Gaza Strip on October 7 when Hamas militants stormed throughout the border, killing 1,200 individuals, principally civilians, and kidnapping round 240 others within the worst assaults in Israel’s 75-year historical past.
Israel has hit again with a large army marketing campaign that Gaza’s Hamas-run authorities says has killed greater than 15,000 individuals, additionally principally civilians.
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