Bodies of three deceased Israeli hostages located in Gaza and returned to Israel
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The bodies of three deceased hostages -Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samareno and Shay Levinson - abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7th, 2023, were located and returned to Israel on Saturday.
22.06.2025
In a complex joint IDF-ISA operation, the bodies of three abducted Israelis were located in the Gaza Strip and returned to Israel yesterday (Sarueday, 21 June, 2025) after being held hostage by the terrorists for 625 days.
The deceased hostages:
- Ofra Keidar, 71, of Kibbutz Be'eri, and mother of three. She was murdered alongside her husband Sami and her body was abducted to the Gaza Strip. Her death was confirmed in December 2023.
- Yonatan Samareno, 21, of Tel Aviv was abducted from the Nova Music Festival on 7th October. When the attack started he fled with his friends to Kibbutz Be'eri, where he was shot and abducted, His death was confirmed 59 days later.
- Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson, 19, of Giv'at Avni. A tank commander of the 77th Battalion, 7th (Storm from the Golan) Armored Brigade, fell in combat on October 7, 2023. His body was abducted to the Gaza Strip and his death was confirmed in January 2024.
Statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Sunday, 22 June 2025) [translated from Hebrew]:
"In an ISA and IDF operation in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of three of our hostages, which had been held by the murderous Hamas terrorist organization, have been returned to Israel: Yonatan Samerano, Staff Sgt. Shai Levinson and Ofra Kedar, who were murdered and taken hostage on 7 October 2023.
Together with all citizens of Israel, my wife and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families, and share in their deep sorrow.
I thank the commander and our fighters for the successful action, their determination and their courage.
The campaign to return the hostages is ongoing and is continuing in parallel to our campaign against Iran.
We will not rest until we return home all of our hostages, the living and the deceased."
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