The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday recovered the bodies of five people abducted by Hamas terrorists during its Oct. 7 massacre.
Oren Goldin, 33, Ravid Katz, 51, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, were all previously declared dead in absentia.
Israeli forces located their remains during an operation in Khan Younis. The IDF began a major operation on Monday to root out a Hamas resurgence in the southern Gaza city.
According to a joint IDF and Israel Security Agency statement, troops obtained intelligence on the whereabouts of the bodies through interrogation of Palestinian terrorists.
The ISA on Thursday afternoon released images from the operation to recover the bodies.
“It’s hard to describe in words how an operation of this kind feels. The sense of responsibility, the magnitude of the moment, the understanding of the importance of the task, everything boils down to one moment when you realize you’ve arrived at the right place,” an ISA agent who participated in the operation said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday expressed gratitude to the security forces for their “determination and courage.”
“It is our duty to bring them all home—those who are alive, and those who we must return for burial in Israel,” Herzog said, adding: “May the memories of Ravid, Oren, Maya, Tomer and Kiril be blessed.”
Goren, a kindergarten teacher, was taken from her home as thousands of terrorists infiltrated the border on Oct. 7 and slaughtered 1,200 people, including her husband, Avner Goren. His body is still being held by Hamas.
The Israeli military confirmed on Dec. 1 that Maya Goren was killed in Hamas captivity, without providing details on the circumstances of her death.
The couple is survived by their four children—Assif, 25, Bar, 23, Gal, 21, and Dekel, 18. Bar and Dekel were in Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas attacked but survived, while Asif and Gal were staying elsewhere.
Maya Goren was also the teacher of 1-year-old Kfir Bibas, the youngest Israeli hostage, who has been in Hamas captivity for almost 300 days.
Oren Goldin, a mechanic and member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s civilian defense team, was killed on Oct. 7.
In a statement released on Wednesday night, the kibbutz said: “Oren was the first to leave that damn morning, even before we knew how serious the danger lurking outside. In November, about a month and a half in which we were hoping for a sign of life, we were informed that Oren was killed on 7/10, and his body was being held captive.
“For almost 10 months, we read and wished for the day when his body would be brought to Israel and we would be able to bury him in the home he loved so much, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak.”
Goldin is survived by his wife, Oshrit Masala, and their 2-year-old twins, Aviv and Ilay; his parents, Adi and Yair; and his siblings, Rani and Shai.
Ravid Katz was a member of the Kibbutz Nir Oz security team who fell fighting Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7.
His wife and baby survived the assault, after hiding in their home for hours.
Katz’s death was confirmed on Nov. 28.
Kiril Brodski and Tomer Ahimas were killed in Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7 while battling terrorists alongside IDF Col. Asaf Hamami, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade. The bodies of all three were taken to the Palestinian enclave.
Brodski and Ahimas were both declared dead in November.
The IDF’s decision to re-enter Khan Younis this week was driven by new intelligence on the existence of undiscovered Hamas tunnels in the area, as well as an uptick in rocket attacks.
The IDF informed Gaza residents on Monday that it was about to enter the city, and called on the remaining population of eastern Khan Younis to move to the newly adjusted humanitarian zone, using text messages, phone calls and Arabic-language media broadcasts.
Since the IDF’s withdrawal from the area in April, Hamas has been working to reconstruct munitions production centers and reestablish its operational capabilities.
Israeli authorities estimate that 111 of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 39 who have been confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas is also holding Israeli citizens Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who crossed into Gaza separately and on their own accord a decade ago; as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed in action during “Operation Protective Edge” in 2014.
The Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages told JNS on Thursday, “We would like to express our gratitude, together with that of the entire nation, to the IDF soldiers for their courage, bravery and dedication to the recovery of our precious hostages.”
The forum expressed its condolences to the families of those whose bodies were recovered.
“We all hope for a continuation of the rescue and return of all the hostages, and for a complete victory over our enemies who threaten to destroy the State of Israel,” the statement concluded.
However, Lee Siegel, whose brother Keith Siegel is still being held in Gaza, told JNS on Thursday that there is no victory in Gaza with out the return of all the hostages.
“Those alive to begin the long process of rebuilding and those deceased a proper burial,” he said.
Keith’s wife, Aviva, who was released as part of a ceasefire agreement in November after 51 days in Hamas captivity, addressed a rally in Washington on Wednesday in support of the abductees.
“I want Keith to come back alive. Not in a box. Not dead. I want him to come back like I know Keith,” she said.
“But I know what Keith is going through and the [other] hostages are going through. They are going through hell. I’m just screaming out loud. They need to come home,” she added.
Ilay David, whose brother Evyatar was abducted on Oct. 7, told JNS on Thursday that he felt “great relief” at the news of the recovered remains.
“For the families it is something big to have the right to bury their loved ones,” he said.
At the same time, he added, “There are so many hostages alive that we are trying to save and their time is running out. It’s crazy that we feel sort of privileged that he is being held and not dead.”
He said he could not reveal when the last proof of life was received from his brother, but noted that video of Evyatar’s capture on Oct. 7 proved that he was taken alive.
The return of the hostages was important not just to them and their families, but for the security of the country and the world, he said.
“If we fail in this war to bring back the hostages it will happen everywhere where there is a radical Islamist presence. We have to show the world we can bring them back and defeat evil,” he said.
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