CNN
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The bodies of three hostages – an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and two civilians, all killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks – have been recovered from Gaza.
In a special operation carried out by the Israel Security Agency (ISA) and the IDF, the bodies of the civilians, Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the ISA and IDF said in a joint statement Sunday.
Ofra Keidar, from the kibbutz Be’eri community, was killed by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023. The 71-year-old’s body was taken to Gaza, where it had been held since. Keidar was a wife and mother of three. Her husband was also killed in Hamas’ attack.
“On that dark Saturday Ofra went, as usual, for a walk in the fields she loved – and never returned,” her kibbutz said in a statement.
“Ofra was one of the women leading Be’eri to be the flourished kibbutz it has become, and set an example for other women while showing strength and leadership skills. She left three children and seven grandchildren.”
According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Keidar worked in a dairy farm for 30 years, caring for newborn calves. Later, she moved to a local petting zoo, where she worked for 15 years. “Anyone who visited her home could see her greatest loves, aside from her family – her dogs, especially poodles, and tending to her garden and houseplants,” the forum said.
Samerano, 21, from Tel Aviv, was killed by Hamas militants who took his body after fleeing the Nova music festival.
He was a talented DJ and always surrounded by friends, according to the forum. “Even at his young age, he was an entrepreneur at heart and a savvy businessman who dreamed of developing his career in event production,” the organization said.
Israeli authorities and Samerano’s family have claimed an employee of the United Nations’ main agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, was involved in the abduction of Samerano’s body.
A United Nations investigation last year found that nine UNRWA employees “may have” been involved in the October 7 attack and no longer work at the agency. The investigation was launched after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the attack, which left 1,200 people in Israel dead.
Levinson, a dual German-Israeli national and tank commander, was killed in combat on October 7, the joint ISA-IDF statement said. The 19-year-old’s body was then taken to Gaza.
According to the forum, Levinson, from Givat Avni in the Lower Galilee, was an “outstanding player” on a volleyball team “that serves as a model for Jewish-Arab cooperation.”
“Shay chose to forgo the opportunity to receive active athlete status and instead chose meaningful combat service in the IDF,” the forum said. Levinson was a quiet and exceptional man, it added, as well as ambitious and driven.
Overall, the forum said: “Alongside the grief and pain, the return of their bodies provides some comfort to the families who have waited in agony, uncertainty, and doubt for 625 days.”
It also called for the return of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza to be a priority as Israel continues its conflict with Iran. “Particularly against the backdrop of current military developments and the significant achievements in Iran, we want to emphasize that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving complete Israeli victory,” it said.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of Keidar, Samerano and Levinson and thanked Israeli soldiers for a “successful operation.”
Israel’s sustained military campaign in Gaza continues. Over the past 24 hours, the conflict has killed 51 people in Gaza and injured 104 others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said in its daily update Sunday.
The total death toll in the strip since Israel launched its military offensive on October 7, 2023, has risen to 55,959 dead and 131,242 wounded, it said.
