The IDF located on Thursday night an additional three bodies of hostages that Hamas had kidnapped into Gaza on October 7, the military announced on Friday morning.
The military subsequently returned the bodies to Israel. The hostages were Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nissenbaum, and Orion Hernandez.
According to IDF intelligence, the hostages were murdered during the October 7 massacre and were taken by Hamas terrorists to Gaza.
The Thursday night operation to recover the bodies was done in collaboration with the Shin Bet under the 98th Paratroopers Division, the Yahalom Unit, and the 504th Unit in the Jabalya neighborhood in northern Gaza while relying on intelligence analyzed in the past few days by The Hostages and Missing Peoples Supervisor.
There was intense fighting in the area at the beginning of the operation to retrieve the bodies, the military said.
After a procedure carried out by medical officials at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, IDF representatives notified the hostages’ families.
Details of the found hostages
Hernandez was the boyfriend of Shani Louk, another murdered hostage whose body was recovered earlier by the IDF. He held Mexican and French citizenship.
French President Emmanuel Macron gave his condolences upon learning of Hernandez’s death. “I think of his family and those close to him. We are at their side. France remains more than ever committed to the release of all the hostages,” he said.
Yablonka was from Tel Aviv and a father of two children aged 12 and 9.
Nisembaum, 59, held Brazilian citizenship and was initially declared missing. He had left his house in Sderot to retrieve his four-year-old granddaughter from her father, who is an officer in the Gaza division.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva commented on the recovery of Nisembaum’s body, saying, “I learned with great sadness of the death of Michel, a Brazilian citizen who was held captive by Hamas. Brazil remains involved in efforts to free all the hostages and calls for a ceasefire and peace in the Gaza Strip.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Together, my wife Sara and I bow our heads in deep sorrow and embrace the grieving families in their difficult time. We have a national and moral duty to do everything we can to return our hostages, and that is what we are doing.
“I praise the IDF and the security forces who acted with great courage in the heart of enemy territory to return them to their families and to the grave of Israel.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog sends “full support to the courageous men and women of the IDF and Shin Bet, who are working tirelessly to return the hostages. It is our duty to bring everyone back – those still alive, and those we must bring for burial in Israel.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid sent his condolences upon their discovery and said, “125 hostages are still in Gaza. With each passing day the chances of returning them to their home decrease, everything should be done to return them as soon as possible.”
ההודעה המטלטלת והכואבת על הבאתם לישראל של שלוש גופות החטופים שוברת את ליבנו.אני שולח תנחומים למשפחותיהם של אוריון הרננדז, חנן יבלונקה ומישל ניסנבאום. יהי זכרם ברוך125 חטופים עדיין בעזה. בכל יום שעובר הסיכויים להשיבם לביתם פוחתים, צריך לעשות הכול כדי להחזיר אותם כמה שיותר מהר. pic.twitter.com/CBOS5AobhE
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) May 24, 2024
The Tikva Forum issued a statement, thanking the IDF and saying that “the hostages will only return to Israel by a vigorous military force that will pressure Hamas in doing so. The State of Israel should stop talking to Hamas. They need to be pushed into a corner. After the video published this week, you see who we are dealing with. This evil needs to be crushed to a pulp.”
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