3 more Israeli hostages' bodies recovered from Gaza
Three more Israeli hostages’ bodies were recovered from Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The Israeli military said that Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum and Orion Hernandez were killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel that left approximately 1,200 people dead.
The IDF said all three hostages were abducted to the Gaza Strip by Hamas, according to its Friday post on social media platform X.
All three of the bodies were rescued during a joint IDF and Israel Security Agency (ISA) operation in Jabaliya, a city in the northern part of Gaza. The bodies were found overnight and were brought back to Israel, according to the IDF.
“We will continue operating to bring all of our hostages back home,” the IDF said on Friday. “May their memory be a blessing.”
Israel launched a military operation in Jabaliya two weeks ago.
The development comes less than a week after the IDF said that the bodies of three other hostages were found.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel has a “national and moral duty” to return all of the hostages. The Jewish state said that around 100 of the 250 hostages taken on Oct. 7 are still being kept in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu, who is dealing with domestic pressure to leave his post as the war has dragged on for over seven months, has vowed to eradicate Hamas and bring back all of the hostages.
The U.S., one of Israel’s closest allies, has warned Netanyahu of diminishing support for the country’s military operation in Gaza. At least 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the war, according to officials with the Hamas-run health ministry.