By Anadolu Staff
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army announced on Friday that the bodies of two of its soldiers and a civilian held captive by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas have been recovered, without providing further details about the date and location in the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to a statement issued by the Israeli army, “The bodies of hostages CPL Nik Beizer, 19, and SGT Ron Sherman, 19, who were abducted by Hamas on October 7th, have been recovered from Gaza during operational activity and returned to Israeli territory.”
The body of 28-year-old Elia Toledano, who was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, has also been recovered by the Special Forces in an operation in Gaza and brought back to Israel, the army added.
“The Israel Defense Forces send the families its heartfelt condolences and will continue to support them,” the army said.
The Israeli army said its "national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home," and that it is "working together with security agencies, and with all intelligence and operational means in order to return all of the hostages home."
The Israeli army did not provide any further information about the process of locating the bodies of the soldiers and the civilian held captive by Hamas or the exact locations where the Israeli military conducted operations.
The statement also did not specify how these hostages died, as the Israeli army intensified its attacks on Gaza immediately after the end of a weeklong humanitarian pause on Dec. 1, claiming nearly 4,000 lives in two weeks.
The Hamas has so far made no response to the Israeli army's statement.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 18,787 Palestinians have since been killed and 50,897 injured in the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while 135 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi