Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that Israel had recovered, during a special operation, the body of an Israeli hostage kidnapped on October 7, 2023 during the Hamas attack and killed in Gaza during his captivity. “In a special operation, the body of hostage Itay Svirsky who was kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Beeri and murdered in captivity by Hamas terrorists in January 2024 was brought back”said the Prime Minister in a press release, after more than a year of war against the Palestinian Islamist group. The Israeli army confirmed in a joint statement with the Shin Bet, the internal security service, that a “special operation” had taken place to bring back the body of Itay Svirsky.
The 38-year-old Israeli was kidnapped on October 7, 2023 while visiting his parents in Kibbutz Beeri, the scene of a massacre by Hamas commandos. His parents were killed in the attack. The army declared him dead in January 2024. The Hostage Families Forum, a collective which represents the majority of relatives of hostages kidnapped in Gaza, welcomed “the return of Itay’s body” and demanded “the immediate release of the hostages still alive”. “Families are still waiting for their loved ones after 425 days of captivity. Many hostages are still alive but in serious danger, and it is necessary to release them immediately.affirms the Forum in its press release.
A possible “hostage agreement”
The Israeli army released another statement revealing the results of an investigation into the death of six hostages whose bodies were brought back to Israel in August, believing that they had been shot by their captors. The circumstances of their death in February 2024 remained unknown. “It is highly likely that their deaths are linked to the (Israeli) strike near where they were being held. According to the most plausible scenario, the terrorists shot the hostages at the time of the strike.affirms the army in this press release.
Commenting on the result of the army investigation, the Families Forum wished to recall “the dangers that hostages face on a daily basis, as this investigation proves”. Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said there was “a possibility that at this moment we could reach an agreement on the hostages”. During the Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, 251 people were kidnapped in Israeli territory, 96 of whom are still captive in Gaza, among whom 34 were declared dead by the army.
