JERUSALEM – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Friday it recovered the bodies of three hostages, including German-Israeli national Shani Louk, whose story became a horrifying symbol of the October 7th attacks. The remains of Amit Buskila, 28, and Itzhak Gelerenter, 56, were also returned during a special overnight operation in Gaza.
The announcement brings a tragic and definitive end to over seven months of agonizing uncertainty for their families and casts a dark shadow over the stalled negotiations for the release of all remaining captives.
Details of the Gaza Recovery Operation
In a televised statement, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the recovery was the result of a joint operation by the military and Israel’s Shin Bet security agency based on precise intelligence. He stated that all three were “murdered by Hamas” while attempting to flee the Nova music festival, and their bodies were then taken into Gaza.
“This is a heartbreaking loss,” Hagari said. “Our national mission is to locate the hostages and bring all of them home—the living and the deceased. We will not rest until we do.”
The intelligence for the operation was reportedly obtained during interrogations and from ongoing surveillance, underscoring the complex and dangerous nature of the IDF‘s efforts within the Gaza Strip.
Remembering the Victims of the Nova Festival
The story of Shani Louk, 22, captured global attention in the immediate aftermath of the attacks after a horrifying video circulated on social media. For weeks, her family held onto hope that she might have survived, but her death was confirmed in late October. The recovery of her remains now allows her family the closure of a proper burial.
Amit Buskila, a fashion stylist, and Itzhak Gelerenter, a grandfather of five, were also attending the Nova music festival, a celebration of peace that turned into a scene of unimaginable carnage. They were among the thousands of young people caught in the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.
Intensified Pressure for a Hostage Deal
News that Hamas returned the remains of the 3 hostages, which Israel confirmed, lands as a heavy blow to the Israeli public and intensifies the immense pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum responded immediately, calling it a “painful reminder” of the urgency of the situation. “The recovery of their bodies is a stark and terrible reminder that we must swiftly bring back all our brothers and sisters,” the group said in a statement. “The living must be returned for rehabilitation, and the murdered must be brought for a dignified burial.”
With ceasefire talks at an impasse, this grim development reinforces the arguments of a growing segment of the Israeli population that a negotiated deal is the only way to prevent more families from receiving this kind of devastating news.
As three families now prepare to lay their loved ones to rest, the fate of the estimated 129 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza hangs precariously in the balance.
