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Israeli military says it recovered body of hostage who was captured in October 2023

"We will continue to act decisively and tirelessly for the return of all our abductees, both the living and the dead," the Israeli prime minister went on to sa

TEL AVIV, December 4. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces conducted a special operation in Gaza to recover the body of a hostage who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"As a result of a special operation, the body of abducted Itay Svirsky (may his memory be blessed) was brought back home, after he was captured on October 7, 2023 from Kibbutz Be'eri and killed in captivity by Hamas militants in January 2024. My heart breaks for the bereavement of the Svirsky family, who also lost their Itay’s parents, Orit and Rafi (may their memory be blessed), who were killed in the brutal Hamas attack," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.

"We will continue to act decisively and tirelessly for the return of all our abductees, both the living and the dead," the Israeli prime minister went on to say.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking hostages, including children, women and elderly people. In response, Israel declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and started delivering strikes on that area and parts of Lebanon and Syria. That was followed by an Israeli ground operation in the enclave.

In November last year, a humanitarian truce was brokered by Egypt and Qatar, which lasted for a week. During that time, according to Israel, more than 100 hostages were released. On December 1 of the same year, the ceasefire was violated by radicals, hostilities resumed and continue to this day. According to the latest data from Israel, there are still 101 hostages in Gaza.

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