In an overnight operation in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the Israeli military successfully recovered the body of Elad Katzir, a man previously taken hostage during Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel on October 7. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) collaborated on this mission, utilizing precise intelligence to locate Katzir’s remains in a burial site within the Khan Younis refugee camp, an area reportedly used by terrorist operatives. Katzir, 47, was abducted alongside his mother, Hanna, from Kibbutz Nir Oz. While his mother was released during a ceasefire, his father, Avraham, was killed in the initial attack.
The IDF and ISA, in a joint statement, announced that intelligence suggested Katzir was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. His sister, Carmit Palty Katzir, expressed her grief and frustration on social media, criticizing Israeli authorities for not securing a new truce that might have saved her brother. A video released by the Islamic Jihad in January showed Katzir alive at that time; however, IDF estimates indicate he was killed shortly after this video was published.
The IDF and ISA have pledged to continue working in coordination with national and security bodies until all abductees are returned. Meanwhile, the possibility of new ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel looms, with Hamas planning to send a delegation to Egypt for discussions, although Israel remains skeptical about the potential for progress.
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