Latest news with #JonathanSamerano
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Israel recovers bodies of three hostages from Gaza
Israel has recovered the bodies of three hostages who were killed on Oct 7 from Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces has announced. The remains of Ofra Keidar, Jonathan Samerano and Shay Levinson were brought back to Israel following a military operation overnight on Saturday. The hostages families' group welcomed their return and renewed calls for the government to strike a deal with Hamas for the 50 remaining hostages, of whom 20 are thought to be alive. Ms Keidar, 71, was murdered by terrorists while taking an early morning walk near her home in the kibbutz of Be'eri on Oct 7. Her body was taken into Gaza as part of what is believed to have been a deliberate strategy by Hamas to maximise leverage over Israel in the ensuing conflict. Ms Keidar's husband, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, was killed by Hamas on the sofa in his home. Their son, Elad Keidar, said: 'There is comfort – we will finally have a proper grave to visit. This is good news.' 'You have returned to us' Mr Samerano, 21, was at the Nova music festival when the terror attack began and fled towards Be'eri with two friends, but were killed. His death was confirmed in December 2023 following footage from a kibbutz security camera showing terrorists loading him into a jeep. His body was recovered on what would have been his 23rd birthday. Kobi Samerano, his father, wrote on social media: 'Yonati [Jonathan], we were blessed to live by your side for 21 and a half years of light,' he said. 'You have returned to us, beloved son, wrapped in the light of heroism, of faith, of a nation united.' The IDF claim that one of his captors was an employee of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Mr Levinson was a 19-year-old tank commander based on the Gaza border. He was killed while fighting the invading terrorists near the Nova festival. The soldier was a dual German-Israeli citizen. On Sunday, Steffen Seibert, Germany's ambassador, expressed his condolences to the family. Writing on X, he said: 'I just spoke to his father; our hearts are with his family and all others waiting for their loved-ones' return. There must be a deal to get them out and end this war.' The IDF continues to suffer casualties as it battles Hamas in Gaza. NGOs believe large numbers of people are now facing starvation, as Israel's controversial new aid distribution system struggles to make up for the previously allowed hundreds of aid trucks a day, which the government said were often seized by Hamas. With the eyes of the world diverted by the new conflict with Iran, mass killings of civilians near the aid sites have continued, with witnesses accusing Israeli troops of opening fire. The IDF said it investigates reports of such killings, while Israeli sources also point to Hamas's campaign of intimidation against civilians.
The National
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Nine killed by Israeli shelling and gunfire in Gaza, as hostage bodies are recovered
Nine Gazans were killed on Sunday by Israeli shelling and gunfire in southern and central Gaza. Six were killed when Israeli forces opened fire on people near an aid centre to the north-west of Rafah, the Wafa news agency reported. Two were killed when a home south of Nuseirat refugee camp was attacked, the agency added. Medical sources told Wafa that 29 people were killed across the enclave on Sunday. The violence came as Israeli forces recovered the bodies of three hostages held in Gaza since October 2023. The hostages were identified as civilians Ofra Keidar and Jonathan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson. All were killed on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. It means 50 hostages now remain in the enclave, with 20 believed to be alive. Israel's military continues to wage war on Gaza, with the attention of the international community now focused to the conflict with Iran. On Sunday, Gaza's Health Ministry said 48 people were killed in the previous 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 55,959. In recent weeks, hundreds have been killed near aid distribution sites run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The group began operations at the end of May, when Israel eased a total blockade on aid supplies that lasted more than two months, but the its work has been marred by chaotic scenes. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to co-operate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza in early March has created famine-like conditions in the enclave, rights groups said. On Saturday, the GHF said people in Gaza "desperately need more aid" and that it had been unable to meet demand. In a statement, interim executive director John Acree said the group was "delivering aid at scale, securely and effectively ... but we cannot meet the full scale of need while large parts of Gaza remain closed". He added that the GHF was "working with the government of Israel to honour its commitment and open additional sites in northern Gaza". "The people of Gaza desperately need more aid and we are ready to partner with other humanitarian groups to expand our reach to those who need help the most," Mr Acree said. In Europe, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities on Saturday to call for an end to the war. Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags as they marched through London wearing keffiyehs. In Berlin, more than 10,000 gathered in the centre of the city, according to police. In the Swiss capital Bern, protest organisers estimated that 20,000 people rallied in front of the national parliament, urging the government to back a ceasefire in the enclave. Thousands also gathered outside a French trade fair near Paris attended by Israeli defence companies, calling for an end to war profiteering and the offensive in Gaza. "It's important to remember that people are suffering in Gaza. I fear all the focus will be on Iran now," said Harry Baker, who attended the protest in London.
