The recovery of three bodies on Sunday is the latest in a more-than-yearlong campaign by Israel to bring home hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
The bodies of Yonatan Samerano, 21; Ofra Keidar, 71; and Shay Levinson, 19, were recovered by Israeli forces on Sunday. They were killed in the Oct. 7 attack, but Hamas took their bodies back to Gaza afterward and held them there, according to NPR.
It’s been almost two years since the Oct. 7 attack that resulted in the abduction of more than 200 people and more than 1,000 deaths. To this day, Israel is still working to free the hostages taken by Hamas.
Hamas is responsible for capturing 251 hostages in the attack, as well as four hostages that preceded the attack, according to the outlet. Here is the status of those hostages.
How many hostages are back?
Israel has negotiated the return of 148 hostages so far, though eight of those hostages were deceased.
How many are alive and still there?
There are 50 hostages being held in Gaza.
How many are suspected dead?
Of the 50 hostages still in Gaza, it’s believed that 27 of them are deceased.
How many have been recovered?
The bodies of 49 hostages have been recovered through Israeli operations so far, while eight additional hostages were rescued alive, according to NPR.
Latest statements from the families
Samerano’s family shared a message on social media earlier this month to commemorate his birthday, before his body was recovered.
“Today, Yonatan should be celebrating his 23rd birthday,” the family shared in a post on X. “We want Yonatan, wherever he is, to know that we are with him and that he is never forgotten, not for a single moment.”
Keidar’s family also shared a message online following the recovery of her body.
“We are in pain, yet there is a sense of relief that we can lay Ofra to rest in the soil of Be’eri, the land she loved so much,” the family said in a post on X. “Bringing back all the hostages is a moral obligation. We pray that all the hostage families will be able to close this circle of horror.”
Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir spoke with Levinson’s family on Sunday following his recovery, as Levinson was a former Israeli soldier.
“I am sending you a strong hug,” Zamir told the family, as the Times of Israel reported. “Shay, may his memory be blessed, has returned for burial in Israel.”
Latest statements from IDF and Netanyahu
The IDF spoke about the recovered hostages online on Monday.
“Yonatan Samerano was murdered and kidnapped during the Oct. 7 Massacre by an @UNRWA worker,” the IDF said in a post on X. “Yesterday, his body was recovered alongside the bodies of SSGT Shay Levinson, and Ofra Keidar in Gaza. Where is the world’s outrage?”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed his condolences to the families of the latest recovered hostages in a statement online.
“I thank the commander and our fighters for the successful action, their determination and their courage,” he said. “The campaign to return the hostages is ongoing and is continuing in parallel to our campaign against Iran. We will not rest until we return home all of our hostages, the living and the deceased.”
The bodies of two other hostages were also recovered earlier this month. After expressing his condolences to the families of those lost, Netanyahu claimed there has been “significant progress” made in retrieving the remaining hostages, according to BBC News.
“We are working tirelessly right now, and all the time. I hope we will be able to move forward,” he said.
ISRAEL RECOVERS BODIES OF THREE MURDERED HOSTAGES IN GAZA
Netanyahu stated last month that he believes 21 hostages are alive, according to a video clip posted by NEWS9 Live.
“We’re not giving up on anyone,” Netanyahu said in the video. “Not on the three. Not on any of the others. We want to bring them all home.”