The IDF announced on Wednesday that it found the body of an Israeli soldier who had been held by Hamas since its October 7 invasion during an operation late Tuesday night.
The exact location of the operation remains under gag order. The body had been found buried in the ground following a Shin Bet interrogation of a detainee.
Unusually, the IDF did not allow publication of the name of the soldier whose body was found at the request of the family.
The IDF and the Shin Bet on Tuesday early afternoon rescued Israeli-Bedouin hostage Qaid Farhanal-Kaadi from a tunnel in Rafah, who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 from Mivtachim in the South.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev tweeted that the mission had occurred in Rafah, while the IDF referenced only southern Gaza, which could include Rafah and also Khan Yunis.
The return of the hostage body brings the number of hostages down to 107 from an original around 250.
Of the 107, even the IDF officially recognizes only 72 as potentially living, while off-record estimates from a variety of officials place the number closer to 50.
Reactions to the IDF, Shin Bet operation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response, “Tonight, our forces returned the body of an IDF soldier whose name was not allowed for publication. The combat soldier fell in heroic combat on October 7 as he was defending the Gaza border communities.”
Netanyahu also thanked the IDF and Shin Bet for the operation.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote in a post on X/Twitter, “I commend the IDF and ISA forces who conducted a bold operation to retrieve the body of a fallen soldier from Gaza, and brought him home for burial in Israel. The soldier fell in combat during the Hamas attack on October 7th.
I commend the IDF and ISA forces who conducted a bold operation to retrieve the body of a fallen soldier from Gaza, and brought him home for burial in Israel. The soldier fell in combat during the Hamas attack on October 7th. This operation reflects our commitment to bringing…
— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) August 28, 2024
“This operation reflects our commitment to bringing all the hostages home,” Gallant added.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, ” “The recovery of the fallen soldier’s remains provides his family with important closure.”
“We must not be misled – the remaining hostages don’t have the luxury of waiting for rescue operations. The immediate return of these 107 hostages can only be achieved through a negotiated deal,” the statement continued.
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