Dec. 5 (UPI) — The Israeli military said it has recovered the body Itay Svirsky, an Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza for more than a year.
Svirsky’s body was recovered in a joint operation of the Shin Bet intelligence agency and the Israel Defense Forces, the IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video statement.
The 38-year-old had been among the 251 people kidnapped from Israel and brought into Gaza by Hamas during the militant group’s bloody surprise assault on Oct. 7, 2023, which also killed about 1,200 people.
He had been visiting his parents in Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas attacked. According to an IDF report, 101 people were killed and 30 were taken hostage from that community.
In January, Hamas released a video in which the organization claimed an Israeli strike on Gaza had killed Svirsky and a second hostage, 53-year-old Yossi Sharabi.
That same month, the IDF said Svirsky had been murdered by Hamas along with Sharabi.
It was not clear when the operation that recovered Svirsky’s body occurred.
“The heart breaks at the heavy loss of the Svirsky family, which also lost Itay’s parents, Orit and Rafi of blessed memory, who were murdered in Hamas’ deadly attack,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in a statement.
“We will continue to take determined and relentless action to return all of our hostages, the living and the deceased.”
About 100 hostages remain Hamas captives in Gaza, though some are believed to be dead.
The Hostages Families Forum said returning Svirsky’s body for proper burial in Israel provides his family closure, but there are still families waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.
“Many hostages remain alive but in grave danger, requiring immediate release for urgent medical care and rehabilitation. Others must be returned for dignified burial. The time has come to bring all 100 hostages home,” it said in a statement.