The IDF has recovered the bodies of three hostages murdered and taken to Gaza during the 7 October Hamas attacks, in an overnight operation backed by Shin Bet and military intelligence.
The remains of Ofra Keidar, 71, Jonathan Samerano, 22, and Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson, 19, were retrieved in a joint mission enabled by what the IDF described as “precise intelligence.” They were brought to Israel for forensic identification before families were notified.
Keidar, killed during her morning walk near Kibbutz Be’eri, was remembered as a physically strong, dedicated dairy worker. “Ofra was physically so strong that it was really hard to keep up with her,” said Shmil Talker, a colleague. Her son Elad said: “There is a comfort, we will finally have a proper grave to visit – this is good news.”
Samerano fled the Nova festival to Be’eri, where he and two friends were murdered. Hamas abducted his body to Gaza. His father, Kobi Samerano, wrote on Instagram: “Yesterday was Yonati’s Hebrew birthday… You have returned to us, beloved son, wrapped in the light of heroism, of faith, of a nation united.”
His mother Ayelet, an activist in the hostage movement, once confronted UN Secretary General Guterres over a UNRWA worker who helped transport her son’s body. “How can the UN pay this man who dragged my son’s limp body… like he isn’t even a human being?” she asked.
Levinson, a tank commander, was killed fighting Hamas near the Nova site. He was described as the “social glue” of his peer group and a top volleyball player. There’s a feeling of pain – he returned in a way we never wanted him to – but at least he’s here,” said his friend Maayan. “It’s the small honour he deserves.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum thanked Israeli forces for the recovery and renewed calls for a deal to return the remaining 50 captives. “There is a historic window of opportunity… There will be no victory until the last hostage returns,” it said.
Of the 251 hostages seized on 7 October, 49 remain in captivity. The IDF has confirmed that at least 28 of those are dead.
