The IDF located the bodies of three additional hostages on Thursday night that Hamas had taken to Gaza on October 7, the military announced on Friday morning. The army subsequently returned the bodies to Israel.
The hostages were Orion Hernandez Radoux, Hanan Yablonka, and Michel Nisenbaum.
According to IDF intelligence, all three were murdered on October 7 and then taken to Gaza.
The Thursday night operation was conducted in collaboration with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) under the 98th Paratroopers Division, the Yahalom Unit, and the 504th Unit in the Jabalya neighborhood in northern Gaza while relying on intelligence analyzed in the past few days by the hostages and missing peoples supervisor.
There was intense fighting in the area at the beginning of the operation to retrieve the bodies, the military said.
After a procedure carried out by medical officials at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and by the Israel Police, IDF representatives notified the hostages’ families.
'It is our duty to bring everyone back'
“Together, my wife Sara and I bow our heads in deep sorrow and embrace the grieving families in their difficult time,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “We have a national and moral duty to do everything we can to return our hostages, and that is what we are doing.
“I praise the IDF and the security forces who acted with great courage in the heart of enemy territory to return them to their families and to burial in Israel,” he said.
President Isaac Herzog sent “full support to the courageous men and women of the IDF and Shin Bet, who are working tirelessly to return the hostages. It is our duty to bring everyone back – those still alive, and those we must bring for burial in Israel.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid sent his condolences upon their discovery, saying, “there are still 125 hostages in Gaza. With each passing day, the chances of returning them to their home decrease; everything should be done to return them as soon as possible.”
ההודעה המטלטלת והכואבת על הבאתם לישראל של שלוש גופות החטופים שוברת את ליבנו.אני שולח תנחומים למשפחותיהם של אוריון הרננדז, חנן יבלונקה ומישל ניסנבאום. יהי זכרם ברוך125 חטופים עדיין בעזה. בכל יום שעובר הסיכויים להשיבם לביתם פוחתים, צריך לעשות הכול כדי להחזיר אותם כמה שיותר מהר. pic.twitter.com/CBOS5AobhE
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) May 24, 2024
The Tikva Forum issued a statement, thanking the IDF and saying that “the hostages will only return to Israel by vigorous military force that will pressure Hamas. The State of Israel should stop talking to Hamas. They need to be pushed into a corner. After the video published this week, you see who we are dealing with. This evil needs to be crushed to a pulp.”