Israel's military said Thursday that Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Israel identified them as Yair Yaakov, who was killed during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel and whose body was taken into Gaza, and the body of a second hostage whose identity was not disclosed. Yaakov's partner and two children were also taken captive and released in a ceasefire deal early in the war.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the bodies were recovered in a ''complex'' operation from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Over the past week, Israel has recovered the bodies of five hostages, including one Thai hostage.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. More than 55,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Here are details on the hostages:
Total hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023: 251
Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: 4, including 2 who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and the bodies of 2 soldiers killed in the 2014 war
Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 148, of whom 8 were dead
Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 46
