The Israeli army announced on Friday, December 15, that it had recovered from the Gaza Strip and brought back to Israel the remains of Franco-Israeli Elya Toledano, who had been taken hostage by Hamas during its bloody attack on October 7.
“During the operation in Gaza, the body of hostage Elya Toledano (28) was recovered by army special forces and repatriated to Israel,” the Israeli army said in a statement, clarifying that the forensic doctors had correctly identified the remains.
Families of hostages had expressed concern in recent weeks about whether or not Elya Toledano was still alive.
“The Israeli army presents its sincere condolences to the family,” she added in a statement, assuring that the young man’s relatives had been informed of the discovery of his body before this public statement.
One hundred and thirty-five hostages still in Hamas hands, according to the army
Israel declared war on Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007, in retaliation for the bloody attack carried out on its soil on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist movement, which left around 1,200 dead, mostly civilians. , according to authorities.
Some 240 people were also kidnapped and taken to Gaza on the day of the attack, 135 of whom the military says remain in the hands of Hamas and affiliated groups after the release of 105 hostages during a seven-day truce that ended December 1st.
The families of the hostages also said they were “shocked” this week by the announcement by the director of Mossad – the Israeli foreign intelligence service – of the refusal to carry out new negotiations to free them and demanded explanations from the authorities.
