'Israel' announces recovery of three captive bodies held in Gaza

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) announced Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of three individuals who were held by Hamas in Gaza.

The remains of Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano, and Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson were retrieved during a special operation carried out in the Gaza Strip.

"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.

The announcement came shortly after Yonatan Samerano’s father publicly confirmed that his son’s body had been recovered. Samerano was reportedly killed in a kibbutz near the Gaza border before his body was taken into the enclave.

Ofra Keidar, a 71-year-old mother of three, was also killed during October 7 and abducted from her home in a kibbutz. Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson, a 19-year-old tank commander, died in combat that morning after engaging with resistance fighters.