Israel recovers bodies of two hostages from Gaza, Netanyahu confirms

On June 11, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the bodies of two hostages had been recovered in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency.

In a statement, Netanyahu identified one of the victims as Yair Yaakov, who was abducted and killed by militants from the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad during the October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel. The identity of the second recovered hostage has not been cleared for publication, pending family consent, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

According to the military, Yaakov, 59, was taken along with his partner Meirav Tal and two of his children, Or and Yagil. Tal and the children were later released by the captors.

The bodies were recovered in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza. The IDF confirmed it had notified the family of the second victim.

There are currently 53 hostages believed to still be held in Gaza, with fewer than half presumed to be alive. The latest operation brings the total number of hostage bodies recovered by Israeli forces in June to five.

Militants abducted 251 people during the October 7 attack, in which approximately 1,200 people in Israel were killed. Israel's ongoing military campaign in response has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza.

By Khagan Isayev