The IDF retrieved the bodies of Eden Zechariah and IDF Warrant Officer Ziv Dado, two of the Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said on Tuesday.
The bodies were retrieved by soldiers from Unit 504 of the Intelligence Directorate and the 551st Brigade operating in Gaza.
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The bodies underwent an identification procedure by medical officials and military rabbis, together with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Israel Police.
The Zecharia and Dado families have been informed.
Zecharia was kidnapped from the party in Re'im and Dado was kidnapped while serving as a logistics foreman in the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade.
Two soldiers fell in attempt to retrieve hostage bodies
Master-Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot and Master-Sgt. (res.) Eyal Meir Berkovich fell during the operation to retrieve the bodies.
"The national mission before our eyes is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home. We are working together with the security agencies, with all the intelligence and operational means to bring all the hostages home," said the IDF.
"We share in the deep sorrow of the Zechariah family," said the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. "Eden Zechariah was full of joy of life and loved to spend time at parties. She went to a party in Re'im with her partner Ofek Kimchi who was murdered at the party."
Hostages' bodies found in densely populated area in Gaza
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced on Tuesday evening that the bodies of the two hostages were found in underground infrastructure in a densely populated area in Gaza, saying "sadly we did not reach them in time."
"Hamas is holding our people hostage in brutal conditions, while hiding among and under the people of Gaza. This makes our hostage rescue operation in Gaza complex, but it will not deter us from our mission, our duty, to rescue our hostages from Hamas. Our hostage rescue mission will continue for as long as necessary until all our hostages are home."
"The Red Cross must urgently gain access to our hostages. The hostages in Hamas captivity aren't just Israelis. They are citizens of the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, Argentina, and other countries. Freeing our hostages from Hamas is a global fight," added Hagari. "The taking of hostages is a crime against humanity. Hamas is blocking the Red Cross from visiting the hostages. Hamas is a barbaric terror group those who claim to value human life must speak out in every forum, even today, until every hostage is home."