Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of three Israeli guests who were captured while fleeing a music festival during the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, the Israeli military said Friday .
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli army spokesman, identified the bodies as those of Amit Buskila, Shani Louk and Yitzhak Gelernter. He said Israeli troops recovered the bodies during an operation in Gaza on Thursday evening, but did not say where they were found.
All three had attended the Tribe of Nova trance music festival on October 7, during which at least 360 people were killed, Admiral Hagari said. During the attack, they fled the festival and headed to Mefalsim, a kibbutz in southern Israel. Palestinian militants found them there, killed them and took their bodies back to Gaza, Admiral Hagari said.
The recovery of the remains highlighted growing concern among hostages’ relatives about how many of their loved ones are still alive after seven months of war in Gaza. A growing number of Israelis have criticized the Netanyahu government for doing too little to reach a deal with Hamas guaranteeing the release of the remaining prisoners.
According to Israeli authorities, approximately 125 living and dead hostages kidnapped on October 7 are still in Gaza, including several American citizens. Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect negotiations to try to reach an agreement that would release at least some hostages in exchange for a ceasefire.
In Washington on Friday, White House spokesman John F. Kirby said there was no new information on the health or fate of the handful of Americans who were arrested on July 7. october.
Ms. Louk, a 23-year-old German-Israeli citizen, has become a symbol of the brutality of this devastating attack. Shortly after October 7, Hamas released a video of a woman lying face down, almost naked, in the back of a van in Gaza. Based on the dreadlocks and tattoos, Ms. Louk’s mother said she thought it was her daughter.
In late October, Ms. Louk’s family said Israeli authorities had confirmed that she had been killed. Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, publicly mourned his death, saying at the time that this “shows the full barbarity behind the Hamas attack – which must be held accountable.”
Ms. Buskila, who was 27 when she was kidnapped, called her family the morning of the attack, whispering to them that she was “surrounded by terrorists,” her uncle, Shimon Atiyas, told Israeli television end of October. “She told me, ‘Shimon, I’m dying, I love you.’ After that, we did not get any information about his whereabouts.
Mr. Gelernter, nicknamed Itzik, was a resident of central Israel and was 56 years old on October 7. His son, Asaf, described it in an interview with Israeli media in February as a devoted and widely loved father and grandfather. “He was young at heart,” Asaf Gelernter said. He added: “He loved life, he loved life. »
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deplored the “terrible loss” of the three hostages. “We will return all our hostages, living and deceased,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
A senior Hamas official, Izzat Al-Rishq, refused to confirm whether the hostages had indeed been recovered by Israel, but said on the Telegram messaging app: “Without an exchange that dignifies our people and our resistance, the The enemy will only receive his prisoners. like lifeless corpses.
Israeli soldiers and intelligence agents recovered the bodies of the hostages during a mission based on intelligence obtained during interrogations of detained Palestinian activists, the Israeli military said in a statement.
For months, Israel and Hamas have been indirectly negotiating, through mediators, a ceasefire agreement that would guarantee the release of remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. In late November, 105 hostages were freed during a week-long truce between the two sides.
Just two weeks ago, officials close to the negotiations expressed hope that a deal could be reached quickly. But negotiations have stalled and the two sides remain far apart on key issues, including Israel’s insistence that it still plans to carry out a massive attack on the southern city of Rafah .
“The return of their bodies is a painful and stark reminder that we must quickly bring all our brothers and sisters back from their cruel captivity – the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial,” the Family Forum headquarters said. hostages. group representing many relatives of people held in captivity.
Katie Rogers » contributed from Washington.
May 17, 2024
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Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Shani Louk’s age. She was 23, not 22.
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