Israeli Forces Recover Bodies Of Three Hostages From Gaza
Jerusalem:
Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of three hostages which had been held in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian group Hamas' 2023 attack, the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
The hostages were identified as civilians Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson. All were killed on the day of the attack, on October 7, 2023, the military said.
With their retrieval, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
The abduction of Samerano, 21 at the time of his death, by a man later identified by Israeli officials as a worker at the UN's Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, was caught on CCTV.
Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
The subsequent Israeli campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run strip, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population, plunged the enclave into humanitarian crisis and left much of the territory in ruins.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Over 200 sites in Tehran hit by Israeli strikes, more than 120 homes destroyed: Provincial governor
More than 200 locations across Iran's capital Tehran have been hit by Israeli airstrikes since the conflict began ten days ago, the city's provincial governor said on Sunday. "More than 200 locations have been attacked by the usurping Zionist regime," Governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian told state television, accusing Israel of widespread targeting of civilian areas. According to Motamedian, over 120 residential housing units have been 'fully destroyed,' while nearly 500 others have suffered varying levels of damage. He did not specify whether the strikes targeted any military or strategic sites. The claim comes as Iran and Israel continue to exchange missile and drone attacks following the US-backed Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites earlier this week. While Israeli officials have focused on targeting Iran's military infrastructure, Tehran accuses Israel of attacking civilian areas and worsening the humanitarian toll. The Iranian government has yet to release an official casualty figure for the capital, but humanitarian agencies have warned of mounting displacement and loss of life as the conflict expands into urban centers.
New Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
At least 15 dead in suicide attack on Damascus church; Syrian officials say Islamic State group is behind attack
DAMASCUS: Syria's interior ministry said a member of the Islamic State group was behind Sunday's attack on a church in Damascus, which civil defence reported had killed at least 15 people. It is the first attack of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, as security remains one of the greatest challenges for the country's new authorities. AFP correspondents at the scene saw first responders transporting people from the site, with destruction at the church including shattered wood from fittings and pews, icons strewn on the ground and pools of blood. The interior ministry said in a statement that "a suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area of the capital Damascus where he opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt." Syrian civil defence said in a statement that the attack killed "more than 15 people and a number of wounded, according to a preliminary toll." One man told AFP outside the church that "someone entered from outside carrying a weapon" and began shooting, adding that people "tried to stop him before he blew himself up". Ziad, 40, said from a shop across from the church that he heard gunfire then an explosion, adding that "we saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance".
The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Islamic State suicide bomber behind church attack in Syria, at least 15 dead: Interior Ministry
Syria's Interior Ministry said a member of the Islamic State group was behind Sunday's (June 22, 2025) attack on a church in Damascus, which civil defence reported had killed at least 15 people. It is the first attack of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, as security remains one of the greatest challenges for the country's new authorities. AFP correspondents at the scene saw first responders transporting people from the site, with destruction at the church including shattered wood from fittings and pews, icons strewn on the ground and pools of blood. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that 'a suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area of the capital Damascus, where he opened fire and then blew himself up with an explosive belt'. Syrian Civil Defence said in a statement that the attack killed 'more than 15 people and a number of wounded, according to a preliminary toll'. One man told AFP outside the church that 'someone entered from outside carrying a weapon' and began shooting, adding that people 'tried to stop him before he blew himself up'. Ziad (40) said from a shop across from the church that he heard gunfire then an explosion, adding that 'we saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance'.
