The bodies of three Israeli hostages have been recovered from the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
IDF spokesman Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari said the bodies had been brought home after an operation carried out on Thursday night by the Israeli military and the country’s security agency Shin Bet.
He named the hostages as Itzhak Gelerenter, 56, Amit Buskila, 28, and Shani Louk, 22, all three of whom were at the Nova music festival near the Re’im kibbutz on 7 October when Hamas launched its attack on southern Israel. They were killed at the festival before being taken into Gaza, Rear-Admiral Hagari said.
Video footage widely circulated on social media shortly after the Hamas attack purportedly showed the body of Ms Louk, a German-Israeli tattoo artist, being paraded through the streets of Gaza, surrounded by armed fighters.
“I just felt like someone kicked my family just in the head,” Ms Louk’s brother, Amit, told Sky News in October. “They treated her like she was a nothing. She meant nothing to them.”
He added: “She was artistic in every way… there was no dark side, only pure angel.”
An estimated 250 hostages were kidnapped in the attack, in which Hamas and other militants killed about 1,200 people. More than 100 hostages were released last November in exchange for Israel releasing about 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Three hostages have been rescued alive by the IDF and the bodies of 12 captives have previously been recovered.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “heartbroken” by the news, while pledging to “return all of our hostages – living and deceased alike”.
“My wife Sara and I grieve with the families,” he said on Friday.
“I congratulate our brave forces who, with determined action, returned our sons and daughters home.”
Rear-Admiral Hagari said: “They were celebrating life in the Nova music festival and they were murdered by Hamas.
“Our hearts go out to them, to the families, at this difficult time and we will leave no stone unturned, we will do everything in our power to find our hostages and bring them home. We will not rest until we do.”
The IDF gave no further information on how and where the bodies were found.
The announcement came as a possible hostage deal, which could lead to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, reached a deadlock last week, following several days of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Egypt and Qatar.
Israel’s war in Gaza since Hamas’s attack has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.