The bodies of two hostages in Gaza have been recovered and returned to Israel, the Israel Defence Forces have said, in an operation that claimed the lives of two soldiers.
“During an operation in Gaza, the bodies of the hostages Eden Zakaria and Sergeant Major Ziv Dado were recovered by IDF Special Forces and brought back to Israel,” an IDF statement read.
Two IDF reserve soldiers were killed in the operation to recover the bodies, the IDF said – naming them as Master Sergeant Gal Meir Eisenkot and Master Sergeant Eyal Meir Berkowitz.
“After an identification procedure carried out by medical officials and military rabbis together with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, today IDF and Israel police representatives informed the [hostages’] families [of their recovery],” it added.
27-year-old Eden Zakaria, a civilian, was abducted by Hamas at the Re’im Nova music festival on 7 October, while Ziv Dado was taken while serving as a logistics supervisor in the IDF’s Golani Brigade on the same day, the IDF said.
The IDF said Mr Dado had previously been designated as killed in captivity.
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