The Israeli Army announced this Wednesday the rescue of the body of hostage Itay Svirsky, 38 years oldkidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and whose death during his captivity was confirmed by the Islamist organization in January. “The publication has been authorized of how, in an operation by the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal intelligence service) with assistance from the Army, the body of the kidnapped Itay Svirsky was recovered from the Gaza Strip for burial in Israel,” he reported. a military statement tonight.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed the news by sending his condolences to the family of the deceased, whose parents were also killed by Gazan militiamen on the day of the attack: “The heart is torn by the great loss of the Svirsky family,” said a statement from his office.
Defense Minister Israel Katz also gave his condolences to Svirsky’s family in a message on social media in which he congratulated the Israeli soldiers and assured that Israel will not remain “silent until justice is done” and the hostages are released.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he knew Itay’s parents, who were killed by Hamas during the October 7 attacks, and insisted that it is “the moral and ethical duty” of Israel to recover the kidnapped who still remain in Gaza, alive and dead.
Many hostages are still alive
The armed forces have not given more details of when the operation took place in which Svarsky’s body was removed from the devastated enclave, although Netanyahu assured that yesterday he held a meeting with Shin Bet operatives.
The Forum of the Families of Hostages and Missing Persons, which brings together the relatives of the majority of captives and constantly pressures the Government to reach an agreement in Gaza that guarantees their return, assured that His rescue “is crucial closure for his family”. “However, many families are still waiting for their loved ones after 425 years in captivity. Many hostages are still alive but in serious danger, requiring his immediate release to receive urgent medical attention and rehabilitation,” the group denounced.
Of the 251 kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 last year, 96 are still in the enclaveof which Israeli authorities estimate that at least 36 are dead. Hamas announced Svirsky’s death along with that of captive Yossi Sharabi in a propaganda video on January 15. Days before, the Islamist organization had released images of both of them alive, which showed that they died during their captivity. The previous videos also featured hostage Noa Argamani, who was rescued alive by the Army along with three other hostages on June 8 in an operation in which more than 200 Palestinians died.
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