Latest news with #Samerano
Al-Ahram Weekly
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Israeli army says bodies of three captives recovered in Gaza - War on Gaza
The Israeli military said Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of three captives in Gaza more than 20 months after they were abducted by Hamas militants. "In a special operation... the bodies of the captives Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano, and Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip yesterday," the military said in a statement. Samerano's father had announced earlier Sunday that his son's body, which was taken into Gaza after he was killed in a kibbutz in the territory on October 7, 2023, had been recovered by the Israeli army. He paid tribute to "the brave soldiers of the Israeli military and the Shin Bet" security service in a message posted on Instagram. The Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Samerano as "a talented DJ who just wanted to make music, have fun, and travel". Keidar, a 71-year-old mother of three, was a resident of Kibbutz Beeri, where over 100 people were killed. Levinson, a 19-year-old tank commander, "engaged and fought terrorists on the morning of October 7 and fell in combat," a statement from the military said. Following the news, the forum repeated their frequent calls for the release of the remaining captives in Gaza, writing on social media: "The hostages have no time. We must bring them ALL home, Now!". Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas' October 7 ofensive, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27, the Israeli military says, are dead. Released captives have reported that they were beaten and tortured by Hamas militants while held in isolation in tunnels snaking underneath Gaza. Keith Siegel, a 66-year-old Israeli-American, told of experiencing and seeing various forms of abuse while in captivity during a recent interview with AFP. One of the locations where Siegel was held was so far underground that he was "gasping for breath", he recalled. Since 7 October 2023, Israel's genocidal war in Gaza has killed at least 55,908 people, most of them women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the territory. The UN considers these figures reliable. On Sunday, Israel's President Isaac Herzog called for the "urgent release" of the remaining captives after the United States carried out strikes 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. * This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Israeli military says bodies of three hostages recovered in Gaza
The Israeli military said Sunday, June 22, that it had recovered the bodies of three hostages in Gaza more than 20 months after they were abducted by Hamas militants. "In a special operation (...) the bodies of the hostages Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip yesterday," the military said in a statement. Samerano's father had announced earlier Sunday that his son's body, which was taken into Gaza after he was killed in a kibbutz by the territory on October 7, 2023, had been recovered by the Israeli army. He paid tribute to "the brave soldiers of the [Israeli military] and the Shin Bet" security service in a message posted on Instagram. The Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Samerano as "a talented DJ who just wanted to make music, have fun, and travel." Keidar, a 71-year-old mother of three, was a resident of a resident of Kibbutz Be'eri – where over a 100 people were killed. Levinson, a 19-year-old tank commander, "engaged and fought terrorists on the morning of October 7 and fell in combat," a statement from the military said. Following the news, the forum repeated their frequent calls for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, writing on social media: "The hostages have no time. We must bring them ALL home, Now!" The attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people. Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory military campaign against Hamas has killed at least 55,908 people, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Released hostages have reported that they were beaten and tortured by Hamas militants, while held in isolation in tunnels snaking underneath Gaza. On Sunday, Israel's President Isaac Herzog called for the "urgent release" of the remaining hostages after the United States carried out strikes 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.
Fox News
8 hours ago
- Fox News
Israel recovers remains of three more bodies held by Hamas: 'No victory until last hostage returns'
Israel recovered the bodies of three more hostages held by Hamas following the terror group's attack on Israel in October 2023. The remains of the three hostages were recovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during a special operation on Saturday and have been identified as Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and Shay Levinson, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters. "Our hearts are with the Keidar, Samerano, and Levinson families today," the organization said. "Alongside the grief and pain, their return provides some comfort to the families who have waited in agony, uncertainty and doubt for 625 days." The group added that the return of all hostages is essential for national healing and recovery. The Israeli Defense Forces also confirmed that the three hostages' remains had been recovered from Gaza. The bodies of Keidar, Samerano, and Levinson were recovered during a special operation carried out by the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) on Saturday. The IDF credited "precise intelligence received from the ISA, the Hostage Task Force, and the IDF Intelligence Directorate" and said it extends "condolences to the families and will continue to make all efforts possible to bring home all the hostages." Keidar, a resident of Kibbutz Be'eri, was kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists "while taking her usual morning walk through the fields she loved," according to the Hostage Families Forum. She worked on a dairy farm for 30 years, caring for newborn calves and "was a dedicated worker with exceptional physical strength," the organization said. "Later, she moved to the local petting zoo, where she worked for 15 years, and even after reaching retirement age, she never slowed down." "Anyone who visited her home could see her greatest loves, aside from her family – her dogs, especially poodles, and tending to her garden and houseplants," the forum added. The IDF noted that Keidar, who was 71 at the time of her death, "was a mother of three and the wife of Shmuel Keidar, who was also murdered by Hamas terrorists in their home in Be'eri." Samerano, who was 21 at the time of his death, "was brutally murdered and abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists, including a UNRWA employee, after fleeing the Nova music festival," according to the IDF. Yonatan, or "Yonati" as his friends and family called him, "was always surrounded by friends – a talented DJ who just wanted to make music, bring joy, and travel," the Hostage Families Forum said. "Even at his young age, he was an entrepreneur at heart and a savvy businessman who dreamed of developing his career in event production." Levinson, a staff sergeant and tank commander in the "Oz" (77) Battalion, "engaged and fought terrorists on the morning of October 7 and fell in combat," according to the IDF. "He was then abducted by Hamas terrorists." Levinson, who was 19 years old at the time of his death, is remembered as "a quiet and exceptional young man – ambitious and driven, who pushed himself to excel in sports and every field that interested him," the Hostage Families Forum said. "Shay, a resident of Givat Avni in the Lower Galilee, was an outstanding player on the M.S. Eilabun volleyball team – a team that serves as a model for Jewish-Arab cooperation," according to the organization. "Shay chose to forgo the opportunity to receive active athlete status and instead chose meaningful combat service in the IDF."
