Body of Israeli hostage Ilan Weiss, remains of another captive recovered from Gaza

The complex recovery mission in Gaza was carried out by Southern Command Forces with intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security and counterintelligence service), and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the IDF said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the remains were brought back to Israel.

“The campaign to return the hostages continues continuously. We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home — both the living and the dead,” Netanyahu said.

Killed during October 7 attack

Weiss was killed during Hamas’s attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, and his wife and daughter, Shiri and Noga, were kidnapped by Hamas. They were released during the first ceasefire in November 2023.

Initially, it was believed that Weiss was alive and was in Hamas captivity, but in January 2024, his family confirmed that he was killed during the October 7 attack while defending his house.

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Weiss was “a loving and devoted family man, [who] excelled at cooking and loved to barbecue.”

Fate of remaining hostages

Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants almost 22 months ago, roughly 50 remain in Gaza, including 20 that Israel believes to be alive.

As the Israeli military begins its Gaza City offensive, the families of the hostages said time is running out for them.

“The hostages are running out of time. We must return all of them home, now!” the group said in its statement.

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