Israel says bodies of three captives killed on October 7 recovered in Gaza

Army says it retrieved bodies of Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila and Shani Louk, who were killed at Nova music festival.

The Israeli army says the bodies of three captives who were killed during the October 7 attacks by Palestinian groups on southern Israel have been recovered from the Gaza Strip.

Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement on Friday that the bodies of Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila and Shani Louk were found during an operation by the army and the country’s internal security service, Shin Bet.

Hagari said the three “were murdered by Hamas while escaping the Nova music festival” on October 7 and “their bodies were taken into Gaza”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the operation and offered his condolences to the families.

“We will return all of our hostages, the living and the deceased alike,” he said. “I commend our brave forces whose determined action has returned the sons and daughters to their own border.”

The announcement was made as Israel continues to bombard Gaza, where its military offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians and spurred a dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

The video was released amid growing domestic pressure on the Israeli government to secure the release of the remaining captives.

Thousands of Israelis, including relatives and other loved ones of those still held in Gaza, have taken to the streets in recent days to demand that Netanyahu do more to free them.

Many have also called on Israel to agree to a ceasefire to bring their relatives home safely.

Reporting from Amman, Jordan, on Friday, media’s Imran Khan said an advocacy group working on behalf of the captives’ families would likely not be satisfied by Netanyahu’s statement on the retrieval of the three captives’ bodies.

media is reporting from outside Israel because it has been banned by the Israeli government.

Naama Weinberg, whose cousin Itai Svirsky was abducted on October 7 and is believed to have been killed in captivity, last week urged the Israeli government to take urgent action.

“Soon, even those who managed to survive this long will no longer be among the living. They must be saved now,” Weinberg said.

“There is no victory and can be no victory without the return of the hostages.”

Despite the immense pressure, Netanyahu’s government rejected a ceasefire proposal this month that Hamas had agreed to.