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Bodies of three hostages taken from southern Israel on 7 October found in Gaza, IDF says
The bodies of three more hostages killed on 7 October have been found in Gaza, Israel’s army has said.
The Hostages Families Forum named them as Michel Nisenbaum, Hanan Yablonka, and Oryon Hernandez Radoux – and said their bodies had been returned to Israel for burial.
“The sorrowful return of Michel, Hanan, and Oryon is another heartbreak for the 125 families of the hostages, who share the pain, sorrow, and endless worry,” it said in a statement.
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The footage shows the women captured by Hamas fighters, before being put into a jeep and driven off.
“Their return for burial provides important closure for the family members, and efforts must be made to bring all the murdered hostages back to Israel.”
The bodies were identified by medical officials at the Israeli National Forensic Institute and the Israeli police, the military said.
One of the bodies recovered was of Oryon Hernandez Radoux, the boyfriend of murdered Shani Louk
Michel Nisenbaum, 59, was a Brazilian-Israeli citizen from Sderot who was taken by Hamas as he sought to rescue his four-year-old granddaughter, according to the hostages group.
He had two daughters and six grandchildren, the youngest of whom he never had a chance to meet.
Hanan Yablonka, 42 and from Tel Aviv, was a “devoted and loving father” to Yarin, 9, and Emily, 12.
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He was attending the Nova festival when he was captured on 7 October, when Hamas paraglided over the border into southern Israel and killed 1,200 people – becoming the bloodiest day in the country’s history. About 250 people were abducted.
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Oryon Hernandez Radoux, 30 and a French-Mexican citizen, was at the Nova festival with his partner, Shani Louk, and their friend Keshet Casarotti. Both Louk and Casarotti were killed by Hamas militants.
It comes after the bodies of four others were discovered last week.
They included Ron Benjamin, 53, Itzhak Gelerenter, 56, Amit Buskila, 28, and Shani Louk, 22.
Around half of the hostages taken on 7 October have been freed, most in swaps for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire in November.
Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to both eliminate Hamas – the militant group ruling Gaza – and bring all the hostages back, but he’s made little progress.
He faces pressure to resign, and the US has threatened to scale back its support over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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