Hostage’s body recovered from Gaza: IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday that the body of a hostage held in Gaza had been recovered.

“The body of hostage Elad Katir was rescued from Khan Yunis by security forces overnight and returned to Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a statement. Said in a post on Platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Katsir was taken on October 7, the same day that the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, starting the war in Gaza.

“Elad Katir was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization during the October 7 massacre,” the post continued. “His mother, Hannah, was also abducted by the IJ and released on November 24, and his father, Abraham, was also killed on the kibbutz. According to intelligence, Elad was killed by the IJ while in captivity.”

The announcement came more than a week after the United Nations Security Council passed its first resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, with the United States abstaining.

The resolution called for the immediate release of all hostages held by the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas and a ceasefire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

“Since the beginning of the war, our mission has been, and remains, to locate and return hostages,” the IDF post continued. “We will remain open until it is completed.”

News that Katsir’s body had been recovered comes just over a week after The New York Times published interviews with hostages who said they were sexually assaulted while in Hamas custody.

Amit Susana, who was held captive for 55 days, became the first former hostage in the Israel-Hamas war to come forward publicly with allegations of sexual violence.

Susana’s interview comes after the United Nations special group focused on sexual violence found “clear and convincing information” that Hamas committed rape and sexual torture during the October 7 attack on Israel. This was done in response to this.