Israel Recovers Bodies of 5 Hostages From Khan Yunis

Jerusalem, 25 July, 2024 (TPS) -- The bodies of five Israelis killed on October 7 were recovered from Gaza and brought back to Israel, the Israel Defense Forces announced overnight.

According to the IDF, all five were recovered from a tunnel in Khan Yunis, where the army launched a new offensive against Hamas, which is trying to re-establish itself in the southern Gaza city.

The five bodies were identified as Ravid Katz, 51; Maya Goren, 56, Oren Goldin, 33; Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19; and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20. All had previously been declared by the military based on intelligence information.

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said the bodies were found based on interrogations of Palestinian terrorists in custody and other intelligence information.

Goren was a kindergarten teacher at Kibbutz Nir Oz, whose husband, Avner was also killed that day. She was also a nanny for Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage. They are survived by four children.

Golden, a member of a civilian security at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak is survived by a wife and two-year-old twins.

Katz, who is survived by a wife and three children was killed defending Nir Oz.

Brodski and Ahimas were killed defending Kibbutz Nirim.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 115 remaining hostages, 39 have been declared dead.

Hamas also holds two Israeli civilians captive, Avera Mengistu and Hisham Al-Sayed, and the bodies of soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul who were killed in 2014.