Israeli forces have retrieved the bodies of two hostages, that of Ilan Weiss and another, unnamed, individual, that Hamas terrorists had kept in the Gaza Strip, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said on Friday.

Weiss, 56, was murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, while defending Kibbutz Be’eri, and his corpse was taken to Gaza, according to the statement. His daughter and wife, Noga and Shiri, were also abducted. They were released in November 2023 as part of a hostage deal.

The name of the other Israeli whose body has been retrieved in the joint IDF and Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) operation has not yet been cleared for publication.

With the retrieval of the two bodies, Hamas is believed to be holding 20 living hostages and another 28 bodies.

Defense Minister Israel Katz on X noted

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