The bodies of three hostages killed on October 7 have been recovered from Gaza, according to Israel’s army.
In a statement published on social media platform X, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari revealed that the bodies of Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, and Orion Hernandez Radoux had been recovered and their families notified.
They are believed to have been killed on October 7 at the Mefalsim intersection and their bodies taken into Gaza. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.
Hostages Families Forum Headquarters via AP
The group that represents the families of Israeli hostages, Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, said in a statement: “The recovery of their bodies is a silent but resolute reminder that the State of Israel is obligated to immediately dispatch negotiation teams with a clear demand to bring about a deal that will swiftly return all the hostages home: the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial.”
Michel Nisenbaum was taken hostage when he went to rescue his 4-year-old granddaughter, who was with her father at a military base in Re’im kibbutz. Yablonka and Radoux were both attending the NOVA music festival when Hamas attacked.
In a statement, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Together with Israel, my wife Sarah and I bow our heads in deep sorrow, and embrace the grieving families in their difficult time.”
The announcement comes less than a week after the army said it found the bodies of three other Israeli hostages killed on Oct. 7.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others in the Oct. 7 attack. Around half of those hostages have since been freed, most in swaps for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire in November.
Israel’s offensive since the war began has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza’s Health Ministry, and has caused a humanitarian crisis and a near-famine.
Earlier in the week, the families forum released footage filmed by Hamas that day showing the capture of several female soldiers. The sister of one of the hostages told CBS News the footage was released to remind the world that hostages are still being held in Gaza.
