By Said Amouri
JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army said Friday that its forces had retrieved the body of a soldier who was held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas said last week that an Israeli female soldier held by the Palestinian group was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the blockaded territory.
“Anytime we have new information about the hostages, we will update the families and then the public through the media, we will not hide information from you,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a news conference.
The Israeli army estimates that at least 239 Israelis have been taken captive by Hamas following a cross-border attack on Oct. 7.
Hagari confirmed that 372 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the current Gaza conflict.
“So far, we have notified the families of 372 IDF fallen soldiers who fell in combat,” he said.
Hagari said the army will operate whenever Hamas exists, including in the southern Gaza Strip.
"We are determined and continue to move forward, to kill terrorists and destroy underground infrastructure and dismantle what remains of Hamas' military infrastructure," he said.
Since Israel started bombarding Gaza on Oct. 7, more than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 8,300 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.
An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.