The Israeli army recovered the body of a soldier kidnapped by Hamas on October 7

Army of the Israel This Wednesday it announced that it had rescued the body of one of its soldiers in the south of the Gaza Strip, who was was murdered and Kidnapped by extremist group Hamas During the 7 October attack that sparked the war.

In a joint operation by army special forces and intelligence services early this Wednesday, “a fallen (dead) soldier who was kidnapped on October 7 and taken hostage in the Gaza Strip was rescued and repatriated to the State of Israel,” indicated a military statement.

The soldier’s family asked that his name not be revealed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, “The heart of the whole nation is in mourning for the terrible loss,” in which he congratulated the armed forces for the rescue of the soldier, “who died in a heroic battle on 7 October while defending communities in the western Negev.”

The President reiterated that he would continue to make “every effort” to secure the release of the hundred hostages still held in Gaza, around thirty of whom have lost their lives.

For his part, Defense Minister Yoav Galant described the operation as “bold” and also promised to continue work to rescue the hostages.

Hamas began the war with Israel after carrying out a bloody offensive on October 7 that included the launch of nearly 3,000 rockets and the infiltration of about a thousand militants who killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped another 251.

Approximately 360 Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting on Israeli soil against the militants that day and in the days that followed, as well as about 60 police officers.

In addition, in nearly eleven months of war, another 342 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip and at least 1,500 have been wounded.

This Tuesday, the army rescued alive Farhan al-Qadi, a 52-year-old Bedouin prisoner who was captured by the ultra-Islamist group on October 7. After a short stay in the hospital, he is now home with his family.

As the first anniversary of the war approaches, relatives of hostages and some of those who managed to escape the Strip alive signed a letter this Wednesday demanding that their names not be used in the ceremony organized by the state, considering it “reprehensible” that the government uses the names of victims “whom it has abandoned.”

The Hostage Families Forum is leading a convoy of some 300 vehicles from Tel Aviv to the Gaza border, to the kibbutz – agricultural community – of Bir’i, one of the hardest hit by Hamas attacks.

Israel and the Islamist group reached a week-long ceasefire in late November that included the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Talks for a new ceasefire have been stalled since May amid accusations between Netanyahu and Hamas over “amendments” introduced to the original US proposal.