IDF Confirms Recovery of Three Hostage Bodies in Special Gaza Operation
IDF Successfully Retrieves Bodies of Three Hostages from Gaza in Special OperationIntensive Efforts Persist to Secure Release of Remaining 50 Hostages Amid Escalating Tensions
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The IDF has officially permitted the release of details regarding a special military operation conducted on Saturday, June 21, 2025. In a coordinated effort by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), IDF Southern Command, and the Gaza Division, the bodies of three hostages, Ofra Keidar z”l, Yonatan Samerano z”l, and Sergeant First Class Shai Levinson z”l, were recovered from the Gaza Strip. This operation, enabled by precise intelligence from the Shin Bet, the Hostage Headquarters, and the Intelligence Directorate, reduces the number of hostages still held in Gaza to 50, with 20 confirmed alive. Additionally, the body of one woman, Inbar Haiman, remains unrecovered.
The recovery was confirmed following identification procedures conducted by the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, with representatives from the IDF Human Resources Division notifying the families and the community of Be’eri. The IDF expressed its condolences to the families and reaffirmed its commitment to exhausting all efforts to return all remaining hostages.
Details of the Hostages:
The recovery brings closure to some families while intensifying the focus on the 50 remaining hostages, 20 of whom are thought to still be alive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said:
"In an operation by the Shin Bet and the IDF in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of three of our hostages, held by the murderous terrorist organization Hamas, were returned to Israel: Yonatan Samerano, Sergeant First Class Shai Levinson, and Ofra Keidar, may their memories be a blessing, who were murdered and abducted on October 7, 2023.
Together with all Israeli citizens, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the dear families and share in their profound grief.
I thank our commanders and fighters for their successful operation, their determination, and their courage.
The campaign to return the hostages continues relentlessly and is being conducted in parallel with the campaign against Iran.We will not rest until we bring all our hostages home, both the living and the fallen."