The bodies of three Israeli hostages kidnapped and slain by Hamas militants were discovered in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces reported Friday.
Hamas killed three hostages during an attack at the Nova Music Festival on October 7: Shani Louk, 23, Amit Buskila, 28, and Yitzhak Gelernter, 57.
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According to Israeli sources, Hamas militants transported the three bodies to Gaza after killing them during the celebration. The IDF and Shin Bet, Israel’s intelligence agency, discovered the bodies on Friday during a joint operation, based on information from Hamas militants arrested in Gaza.
Hamas murdered them while they were celebrating life at the Nova Music Festival, according to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari.
IDF troops recovered their remains and took them to medical personnel for forensic analysis and identification, according to Hagari. The families were then notified.
“I am heartbroken for this enormous loss. “My wife Sara and I mourn with the families,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. He praised the military action and restated his vow to return all the remaining hostages.
“We will bring back all our hostages, whether they are alive or dead,” Netanyahu stated.
According to estimates from Israel’s government press office, an estimated 129 captives remain in custody in Gaza after their return. At least 37 of them are likely dead, according to Israeli officials. According to the Biden administration, the remaining hostages include five Americans.
“Just terrible news,” said John Kirby, a White House spokesman. “Our hearts go out to the families dealing with this terrible news.” Kirby stated that the US has no new information on the fate of the five American hostages.
The Biden administration has been negotiating for weeks to reach a temporary cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that involves the release of hostages. “It’s difficult to see how this grim news today is going to have a major effect on the hostage-deal negotiations,” Kirby stated.
The death of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli tattoo artist, provided one of the most heartbreaking photos of the Oct. 7 attack. The Associated Press published a photo of Hamas gunmen with firearms transporting Louk’s half-naked body in the back of a pickup truck.
Nissim Louk, Shani Louk’s father, told Israel’s Haaretz newspaper that the return of his daughter’s body provides closure. He stated that her daughter “radiated light to her and those who surrounded her, and in her death she still does.”
“She represents the Israeli people as a balance of brightness and darkness.” Her inner and outer beauty, which was visible to the entire world, is unique,” Nissim Louk added.
The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, a coalition of captive families fighting for their release and also known as Bring Them Home Now, issued a statement in which they “bow their heads in deep sorrow and with broken hearts.”
“The return of their bodies is a painful and stark reminder that we must swiftly bring back all our brothers and sisters from their cruel captivity—the living to rehabilitation, and the murdered to a proper burial,” the organization stated.
