The bodies of three hostages kidnapped by Hamas, including the German-Israeli Shani Louk, have been retrieved from Gaza by the Israeli military.
The other two hostages were identified as Amit Buskila, 28, and Itzhak Gelerenter, 56, and the the three victims were taken to Gaza after being killed by Hamas at the Nova music festival, military spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said.
Footage of what appeared to be the body of Louk, 22, on the back of a pickup truck on the streets o Gaza was one of the first images to surface after 7 October.
She was initially believed to have been kidnapped alive during Hamas’s assault in Re’im. But sister Adi confirmed she had died probably during the attack, after the discovery of human remains.
Israeli military did not immediately provide details on where the bodies were found.
Her father, Nissim, said: “The news is hard, no father thought that a 22-year-old girl would disappear from her life, but we knew she was murdered and we waited for our dear soldiers who were looking for her to find her.”
Buskila, a fashion stylist was kidnapped from the Nova music festival as she was trying to hide between cars. When she was captured, she was on the phone with her uncle, who heard her pleading with her attackers. She told him: “I love you”, before a series of gunshots interrupted the phone call.
Gelerenter reached the party just a couple of hours before the attack began at about 6.30am on 7 October with two friends, who were also killed. A few days later, the family was notified by the IDF that his phone was located in Gaza, leading the military to believe he was taken hostage.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said: “The heart breaks for such a big loss” in a post on X.
“My wife Sarah and I are hurting with the families. All our hearts are with them at their time of heavy grief. We will return all of our hostages, living and dead. I congratulate our brave forces that in a determined action returned Israel’s sons and daughters home,” he said.
