Israel announces discovery of bodies of two hostages in Gaza

Israeli military officials announced Tuesday that they had found the remains of two hostages captured during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and had repatriated the bodies.

The remains of the hostages, Eden Zakaria, 27, and Master Sgt. Ziv Dado, 36, were discovered during a recent operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli officials said in a statement. Ms. Zakaria was taken hostage during the Tribe of Nova music festival in Re'im, southern Israel, while Sergeant Dado was serving as a logistics supervisor in the army's Golani Brigade at the time of the attack and was presumed dead, Israeli officials said. said.

The operation to locate their bodies resulted in at least two deaths, officials said, including those of Master Sgt. Eyal Meir Berkowitz and General Gal Meir Eisenkot, the son of War Cabinet Minister Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot. They died on December 7.

“Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home,” the Israeli army said. “We are working with security agencies and with all operational and intelligence means to bring all the hostages home.”

Liat Bell Sommer, spokesperson for The Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons, a group formed by the families of those kidnapped after the October 7 attack, said in a statement that it shared the "deep grief" of the families of hostages who have just been informed of the repatriation.

Ms. Zakaria “was filled with the joy of life,” Ms. Sommer said, noting her devotion to her family and her dogs. Sergeant Dado was married with a 5-month-old daughter, Ms. Sommer said, and he “loved helping others, especially underserved populations.”

After around 240 hostages were kidnapped on October 7, more than 100 were released, after a series of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatari, American and Egyptian officials. In November, negotiations resulted in the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian women and teenagers detained by Israel. They also led to a brief pause in Israeli bombing of Gaza, triggering a humanitarian crisis in the enclave that has displaced around 1.9 million Palestinians in two months.

Hostages who were released described the conditions of their captivity to family members as horrific. Some were held in stifling tunnels deep within the strip, crowded into cramped quarters or confined in solitary confinement. All suffered physical and psychological injuries. Hamas and Israel presented conflicting reports last week on the Israeli military's hostage rescue efforts.

President Biden is scheduled to meet Wednesday with the families of some remaining American hostages. The families of the hostages have pressed the United States to demand more pauses in fighting and continued negotiations.