Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages killed during the 7 October massacre, Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Wednesday.
One of them, 59-year-old father of three Yair (Yaya) Yaakov, was murdered inside his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz by Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen. His body was taken into Gaza.
His sons, Yagil and Or, and partner, Meirav Tal, were also abducted but released during a ceasefire in November 2023.
“Dad, I love you,” Yagil wrote on Instagram. “I’m waiting for your funeral. I love you and knew this day would come.” He thanked the IDF and Shin Bet, adding he hoped the remaining hostages would be freed “in a deal that doesn’t risk soldiers”.
The second hostage, also abducted from Nir Oz, has not yet been publicly named, though his family has been informed.
The IDF said the operation was carried out in Khan Younis and enabled by “precise intelligence” from the Hostage Task Force, Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet. The bodies were taken to Abu Kabir forensic institute for identification.
“There are no words to express the depth of this pain,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. “The hostages have no time. We must bring them all home. Now!”
Netanyahu said he and his wife extended their condolences “to the families who have lost their most beloved” and praised troops for “another successful execution of the sacred mission”.
Fifty-three hostages remain in Gaza, including at least 20 believed to be alive. The IDF says 31 are confirmed dead.
The discovery follows the retrieval of three other hostage bodies in recent days. Thai farm worker Nattapong Pinta, 35, also kidnapped from Nir Oz, was found in Rafah. He is believed to have been killed early in captivity.
Israeli-American couple Judi Weinstein Haggai, 70, and Gadi Haggai, 72 – both murdered on 7 October – were also found in Khan Younis.
The 7 October assault killed 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 hostages taken. So far, 202 have been returned, 148 of them alive.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says over 55,000 people have died since Israel launched its military campaign in response.
