Israeli military finds bodies of missing hostages in Gaza Strip

The list of victims of the bloody Hamas attack on Israel continues to grow. Israeli soldiers who entered the Gaza Strip discovered the bodies of several Israelis who were listed as missing.

According to Haaretz newspaper, the bodies of several Israelis were recovered by the Israeli military after their troops entered the Gaza Strip. The families of those missing following last Saturday’s Hamas attacks have been notified, the report said.

According to The Guardian, the report quotes IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari as saying that troops also discovered items that could lead to even more missing Israelis. During the raids, the Israeli military also “destroyed terrorist infrastructure and units, including a Hamas unit that fired anti-tank missiles towards Israel.”

This was the first operation carried out in Gaza since the war began on October 7, The Jerusalem Post notes.

As first reported by Ynet, the bodies of the missing were collected after being abandoned by Hamas terrorists and were identified from the air. IDF units are working to determine the whereabouts of missing and captured persons, following the path along which they were dragged.

Another reason for sending troops across the border was to target the tunnels that Hamas had built in the Gaza Strip as a warning and defense against potential Israeli infiltration into the region.

In the latest statement provided by IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari, he said: “We will continue to make every effort to provide full details of missing and captured persons from all locations. The military conducted a search and identified findings that could help in the search.” Hagari added: “IDF forces conducted localized incursions into the Gaza Strip to complete clearing the area of ​​terrorists and weapons of war. These actions also include efforts to locate missing persons.”

According to him, “IDF ground forces and intelligence units combed a separate area, collecting potential finds that could help in efforts to find missing persons. They also dismantled terrorist infrastructure and tunnels used by terrorists in the area, including a tunnel of the terrorist organization Hamas “, which launched explosive-laden drones towards Israeli territory. In addition, the Israeli air force continued to carry out attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, including attacks on rocket launchers immediately after they were activated in the direction of Israel.”

Hagari addressed loved ones of the fallen and missing in a statement, saying: “We have conveyed messages to 265 families who have suffered bereavement and 120 families for those who have been captured.”

The Israeli bodies were discovered during a raid on Gaza carried out by forces led by the 7th Armored Brigade on Friday evening. Reports were received from forces near the border that “finds” had been made near the border and were being investigated, leading to the subsequent decision to send a large force there under the command of Lieutenant Colonel J. Shimon Putrabani.

After the brigade surrounded the site, the bodies were collected and transported to Israeli territory.

Earlier Saturday morning, the Israeli military said it had confirmed Hamas was holding more than 120 civilians hostage in Gaza.

It was not only Israelis who became victims of Hamas militants – three more Thai citizens died during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, bringing the death toll of citizens of the Asian kingdom who travel to Israel as guest workers to 24, Thai Prime Minister Sretta Taweesin said.

Two more Thai citizens were wounded, bringing the total number of casualties to 16. Another 16 Thais are believed to have been taken hostage, Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said.

Thais make up one of the largest groups of migrant workers in Israel, with about 30,000 people working in the country, mostly in the agricultural sector.