Bodies of 2 hostages recovered in Gaza, Israel says

The Israeli military says it has recovered the bodies of two hostages in Gaza and that they were brought back to Israel on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said the two have been identified as Eden Zakaria, 27, and Ziv Dado, 36. 

The IDF said Zakaria was at the music festival in southern Israel that came under attack on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed the site. Dado, a soldier in the Israeli military, was a logistics supervisor in the Golani Brigade's 51st Battalion and was taken hostage during the attacks, the statement said.

The IDF also said two reserve soldiers were killed and several were wounded during the military operations which enabled the bodies to be found. 

About 100 hostages were released by Hamas during a temporary cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas last month, before the truce ended and fighting in Gaza resumed. The deal, negotiated with the help of the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, was initially set to last four days but was extended to seven days. About 240 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel were released in exchange.

 Israel said its military is prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat Hamas.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says the war has killed more than 18,000 people in the territory and wounded thousands more. Humanitarian groups have warned of extreme hunger, suffering and misery, and say there is no safe place for civilians in Gaza.

In:
• Hamas
• Israel
• Gaza Strip

Cara Tabachnick

Cara Tabachnick is a news editor and journalist at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at [email protected]