JERUSALEM – The bodies of three Israeli hostages—including German-Israeli Shani Louk—who were captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack have been discovered, according to an announcement made by the Israeli military on Friday.
The extent of the terrorists’ attack on villages in southern Israel was revealed by a picture of the mutilated body of 22-year-old Shani in the back of a pickup truck that went viral.
The two other bodies discovered were recognized by the military as those of Itzhak Gelerenter, 56, and Amit Buskila, 28, respectively. All three were assassinated by Hamas during the Nova music festival, an outdoor dance celebration close to the Gaza border, according to military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, and their remains were transported into Palestinian territory.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, described the murders as “heartbreaking” and declared, “We will return all of our hostages, both the living and the dead.”
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The whereabouts of their bodies weren’t immediately disclosed by the military. Rafah, in the southern part of the strip, is where Israel has been conducting operations. According to its intelligence, captives are being held there.
In the Oct. 7 attack, terrorists commanded by Hamas killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250 more. Since then, about half of them have been released; the majority were exchanged for Palestinian detainees detained by Israel during a seven-day cease-fire in November.
According to Israel, around thirty additional captives’ bodies and about one hundred hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. Over 35,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s campaign in Gaza since the attack, according to Gaza health officials.
