The bodies of three Israelis taken hostage and held in Gaza have been recovered by the Israeli military, officials said Friday.
Elia Toledano, a 28-year-old civilian, was abducted during Hamas’ attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. The French-Israeli citizen was one of the people taken from a music festival targeted by gunmen during the rampage, according to The Times of Israel.
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna wrote in a statement on X of her “immense pain” at the “death of our compatriot Elia Toledano, hostage of Hamas and whose remains were found in Gaza.” “We share the pain of his family and loved ones,” she wrote, adding: “The release of all hostages is our priority.”
The other two bodies recovered were a pair of 19-year-old soldiers, Nik Beizer and Ron Scherman. The IDF did not disclose where or when any of the men were found, nor did it provide details of how they may have died.
“Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home,” the IDF said in statements announcing the recovery of the bodies, which offered the military’s “heartfelt condolences” to all of the families of the deceased. “We are working together with security agencies, and with all intelligence and operational means in order to return all of the hostages home.”
Israel says 240 people were abducted during Oct. 7 Hamas attacks which also led to 1,200 people being killed. After a weeklong truce with Hamas last month, over 100 captives were released from Gaza in exchange for 240 women and teenagers that Israel had imprisoned. Around 130 hostages still remain in Gaza.
According to Palestinian estimates, nearly 19,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s widespread strikes in its operation to wipe out Hamas.
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