Israel Says Remains Of 3 Hostages Recovered From Gaza

Last Updated:June 22, 2025, 15:14 IST

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday called for the “urgent release” of the remaining hostages held in Gaza

Activists gather for a demonstration calling not to forget the Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza since the 2023 October 7 attacks, amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, outside the Israeli Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv on June 21. (AFP)

The Israeli military has announced the recovery of the remains of three hostages from the Gaza Strip, identifying them as Yonatan Samerano (21), Ofra Keidar (70), and Shay Levinson (19).

In a Facebook post, Kobi Samerano revealed that his son, Yonatan, was killed during Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, and his body was subsequently taken into Gaza. He noted that the remains were returned on what would have been Yonatan’s 23rd birthday, adding a deeply emotional layer to the tragic development.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on X that the bodies of three hostages, Yonatan Samerano, Staff Sgt. Shai Levinson, and Ofra Kedar, have been recovered and returned to Israel in a joint operation conducted by the ISA and IDF. He stated that the three were murdered and taken hostage by the “murderous Hamas terrorist organization" during the October 7 attack.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday called for the “urgent release" of the remaining hostages held in Gaza, following the U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

“This brave step serves the security and safety of the entire free world. I hope it will lead to a better future for the Middle East — and help advance the urgent release of our hostages held in captivity in Gaza," Herzog wrote on X.

Netanyahu Sees Gaza Hostage Release ‘Opening’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said that he had instructed negotiators to move forward with efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, citing a potential opening in the wake of Israel’s unprecedented strikes on Iran.

“I gave instructions the day before yesterday to advance negotiations, because I sense an opening… We will complete… both missions: the destruction of Hamas and the release of the hostages," Netanyahu said, referring to talks with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu also confirmed that US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed a 60-day ceasefire, during which half of the hostages would be released immediately. “And I said, yes, we’re ready to go. There’s been some development there. I hope we’re able to do that," he added.

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, 52 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Hamas also holds the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in the 2014 war.

Israel’s military on Sunday identified the hostage whose body it retrieved from Gaza last week as Aviv Atzili.

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