Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reported Sunday that Israeli troops retrieved the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet conducted the mission on Saturday. The bodies of Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano, and Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson were retrieved. All three were kidnapped and killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
PM Netanyahu expressed sympathies to the families. He commended the courage of the operation and restated Israel’s determination to return all the hostages—dead and alive. He added that the mission goes on as part of Israel’s larger campaign against Iran.
IDF Brought Bodies Home, Families Grieve
Fifty hostages remain in Gaza. Israel believes that at least 20 are alive. The news of the recovery deeply moved the nation and the families involved. Yonatan Samerano’s father publicly confirmed the retrieval of his son’s body earlier on Sunday.
The miracle occurred on Yonatan’s 23rd Hebrew birthday. His father expressed gratitude in a moving message to the Israeli government, army, and people for their prayers and support. He promised to keep Yonatan’s memory and the light in their lives alive.
The Tragedy of Yonatan Samerano
Yonatan was only 21 on October 7 when Hamas launched its lethal cross-border attack. He was at the Supernova music festival close to Kibbutz Re’im with his friends when the attack started. In an attempt to escape, he had moved towards Kibbutz Be’eri. There, Hamas terrorists attacked him. Later, a Hamas member kidnapped him into Gaza.
Shocking information subsequently unfolded that Yonatan was kidnapped by Faisal Ali Mussalem al-Naami, who was a Hamas agent working as a social worker for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). His family thought he was alive for weeks. But in December 2023, they discovered he had succumbed on the day of the attack.
Lawsuit Against UNRWA
Yonatan’s parents filed their suit against UNRWA in Jerusalem District Court. They charge that the agency was complicit in his kidnapping and killing. The lawsuit has increased pressure on UNRWA’s connections to Hamas members.
With Israel ongoing operations in Gaza, the return of these bodies marks both the intensity of national sorrow and the determination of the Israeli mission to bring their citizens home.