Body of 2 hostages, including Ilan Weiss, recovered from Gaza, IDF says
Weiss’ body was recovered along with the remains of another hostage who has yet to be identified
A poster of a photo of Israeli hostage Ilan Weiss, kidnapped on October 7, 2023 in the Gaza Strip, on a pole in a street in Avignon, France, on April 27, 2025. Photo by Nicolas Guyonnet / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
(JTA) — The body of Ilan Weiss, who was killed while defending Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023, has been recovered by the IDF and Shin Bet security service.
“The body of Ilan Weiss, who was held hostage for 693 days in Gaza, has been recovered in a joint IDF and ISA military operation,” the IDF said in a post on X Friday. “Ilan was from Kibbutz Be’eri and left his home on the morning of October 7 to join the kibbutz emergency response team.”
Weiss, 56, was murdered and kidnapped by Hamas during the massacre. His wife, Shiri, 54, and daughter Noga, 19, were also taken hostage by Hamas during the attacks and were released during a ceasfire in November 2023.
The IDF also recovered the remains of another hostage who could not yet be identified.
There are now 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza, of which 20 are presumed to be alive. Last week, President Donald Trump cast doubt on that figure, telling reporters that some Israeli hostages had died inside Gaza since the last ceasefire.
Israel has not responded to a Hamas offer for a ceasefire deal that would include the release of some of the living hostages. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said they are no longer considering partial deals, even as the vast majority of Israelis support an end to the war in order to release the hostages and have staged multiple mass protests this month to press their case.
The recovery of the hostages’ remains comes as Israel instead widens fighting in Gaza City, which it says is one of Hamas’ last major redoubts. It also comes on the one-year anniversary of the murder of six hostages who were killed as Israeli troops neared the location in Rafah where they were being held, and as army leaders and advocates for the hostages warn that the Gaza City operation could risk the remaining hostages’ lives.
“Ilan, 56, was a family man and a devoted father to his daughters.” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote in a post on X. “There are no words to express the depth of this pain. The hostages have no time. We must bring them all home, now!”
