In a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation overnight Monday, the bodies of the hostages Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Haim Perry were retrieved from the Khan Yunis area in the Gaza Strip.
The operation was conducted under the command of the 98th Division and carried out by the Paratroopers Brigade, the Yahalom Unit, and the 75th Battalion, along with Shin Bet forces.
The fighters were fed precise intelligence from the Shin Bet, IDF Military Intelligence, and the IDF Intelligence Directorate Hostage Headquarters.
Following an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, the IDF Manpower Directorate’s Hostage team, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, notified their families and communities today. The IDF and ISA send their heartfelt condolences to the families.
The IDF and Shin Bet say they are continuing to deploy all operational and intelligence means to fulfill the supreme national mission of bringing back all the hostages.
The number of hostages, dead and alive, in Hamas captivity, has thus been reduced to 109. Estimates are that fewer than 70 are still alive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the following statement Tuesday morning:
Overnight our forces returned the bodies of six of our hostages that had been held by the murderous Hamas terrorist organization: Avraham Munder, Alex Dancyg, Chaim Peri, Yagev Buchshtav, Yoram Metzger, and Nadav Popplewell – of blessed memory.
Our hearts grieve over the terrible loss. My wife Sara and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families.
I would like to thank the brave IDF and Shin Bet fighters and commanders for their heroism and determined action. The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages – the living and the deceased.
