The bodies of two Israeli hostages have been recovered from Gaza, during an operation by Israel‘s military.
The news came as Israel launched an offensive on the region, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee.
During the recovery of the bodies, Israeli troops retrieved the remains of Ilan Weiss and those of an unnamed captive.
Mr Weiss, 56, was killed on the morning of October 7, 2023, during Hamas‘s onslaught while defending Kibbutz Be’eri but his body was held by Hamas for 693 days.
His wife, Shiri, 53, and daughter, Noga, 18, were also taken hostage but returned to Israel in November 2023 as part of a week-long truce.
The identification process of the second body is being carried out at a forensics institute.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said: ‘The campaign to return the hostages continues. We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home – both the living and the dead.’
According to official statistics, 48 hostages now remain in Gaza and Israel believes only 22 are alive.
During the recovery of the bodies, Israeli troops retrieved the remains of Ilan Weiss (pictured) and those of an unnamed captive
The news came as Israel launched an offensive on the region (Pictured: Smoke billowing after an Israeli airstrike on Palestinian territory on August 29, 2025)
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) said Israel ‘will not rest or be silent’ the hostages in Gaza are returned, whether they are alive or dead
Yesterday Israeli military declared Gaza City ‘a dangerous combat zone’ and was preparing to seize the Palestinian territory’s largest city after almost two years of war.
IDF spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee wrote on X: ‘We have begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of the attack on Gaza City…
‘We will intensify our strikes and will not hesitate until we bring back all the hostages and dismantle Hamas militarily and politically.’
The IDF had been implementing military pauses in the Strip to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian supplies.
But the military said it would suspend the pause in the region where around half of Gaza’s 2.1million residents are sheltering.
