Israel identifies body of hostage retrieved from Gaza

Israel identified the body of hostage Idan Shtivi, recovered from the Gaza Strip in a military operation this week that retrieved the remains of two hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday.

Netanyahu’s office had announced on Friday the retrieval of Ilan Weiss’s body along with the remains of another hostage, whose identity is now known to be that of Shtivi but had not been disclosed at the time.

With Weiss and Shtivi‘s bodies recovered, Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom only 20 are believed to be alive.

“Idan Shtivi was abducted from the Tel Gama area and brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists after acting to rescue and evacuate others from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. He was 28 years old at the time of his death,” the Israeli military said on Saturday in a statement.

Around 1,200 people were killed and about 251 taken hostage when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israeli southern communities in October 2023, Israel’s tallies show.

Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed over 63,000 Palestinians. The war has displaced nearly the enclave’s entire population, devastated infrastructure, and triggered a humanitarian crisis.