Bodies of two Israeli hostages are recovered in Gaza: Woman kidnapped from Nova festival – who asked her father to look after her dogs in final phonecall – is found along with IDF soldier

The Israeli army said today it had been repaired during an operation Gaza the bodies of two hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack.

Following the positive identification of the bodies, authorities “informed the families of Eden Zakaria and Ziv Dado that their bodies had been recovered and returned to Israel,” the army said in a statement.

Zakaria, 28, had traveled to the Nova festival with her boyfriend Ofek Kimchi, 23, who was killed in the attack that left more than 260 dead and dozens captured.

Dado, 36, served as a logistics supervisor in the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade and was killed in the October 7 attack, but Israel considers those still held by Hamas as hostages, regardless of whether they are dead or alive.

Zakaria spoke to her father and, in a final phone call, asked him to look after their dogs while the festival was under fire.

Ziv Dado, 36, served as a logistics supervisor with the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade and was killed during the October 7 attack

Israeli forces recover the bodies of Eden Zakaria and First Sgt. Ziv Dado returns to Israel from the Gaza Strip, in an image published on December 12, 2023

She fled in a car along with her boyfriend and friends when the terrorists started shooting at the vehicle and later abducted her. Times of Israel.

Kimchi was killed in the attack and Zakaria was kidnapped while suffering from wounds to the upper half of her body, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has helped coordinate relief efforts for relatives.

Zakaria had two hunting dogs to whom she was deeply attached and planned to study digital marketing.

Her family was informed today that she was killed while held captive by Hamas after being kidnapped by the party in Re'im.

The army said that during the operation to recover the bodies from the Gaza Strip, two soldiers “fell in battle and more soldiers were injured.”

The operation was carried out by Unit 504 of the Military Intelligence Directorate and the 551st Brigade.

The IDF said: 'Following an identification procedure conducted by medical officials and military rabbis together with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, representatives of the IDF and the Israel Police today (Tuesday) identified the families of Eden Zakaria and (SGM) Ziv Dado informed. , who were taken hostage by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, that their bodies had been recovered and returned to Israel.'

The statement continued: “The IDF extends its sincere condolences to the families and will continue to support them. During the operations that enabled the location of the bodies, IDF reserve soldiers (MSG) Gal Meir Eisenkot and (MSG) Eyal Meir Berkowitz fell in battle and additional soldiers were injured.

Zakaria and her boyfriend Ofek Kimhi

Zakaria spoke to her father and, in a final phone call, asked him to look after their dogs while the festival was under fire

“Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all hostages home. We are working with security services and all intelligence and operational resources to bring all hostages home.”

Israel today declared dead in absentia 19 of the 135 people still in captivity in Gaza, after announcing that its forces had recovered the bodies of two hostages.

Another hostage, Sahar Baruch, was declared dead last week after a failed army rescue attempt that left two soldiers injured.

Under a weeklong ceasefire that expired on December 1, 105 hostages were released from Gaza, including 80 Israelis – mostly women and children – who were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinians jailed by Israel.

Efforts to revive the deal have stalled, with Hamas warning on Sunday that no more hostages would leave Gaza alive unless its demands for the release of prisoners were met.

Israel today continued an offensive against Hamas rulers in Gaza, which it says could last weeks or months.

Ahead of a non-binding vote later on Tuesday at the United Nations, Israel and the United States faced global calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

More than 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled area.

About 90 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced within the besieged area, where United Nations agencies say there is no safe place to flee.

With only a trickle of humanitarian aid reaching a small part of Gaza, residents face severe shortages of food, water and other basic goods.

Israel says 97 of its soldiers were killed in the ground offensive after Hamas invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 240 hostages.

Qatar, which has played a key mediating role, says efforts to stop the war and free all hostages will continue, but its willingness to discuss a ceasefire is waning.