An Israeli army vehicle drives along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, as smoke billows in the background. AFP
"In an IDF (Israeli military) operation, the body of Ilan Weiss was recovered, along with remains linked to another fallen hostage whose name has not yet been released, from the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement.
The army said the operation was carried out by the Israeli military’s Southern Command, with intelligence support from military intelligence, the Shin Bet security agency, and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of captives.
According to official Israeli figures, 48 captives remain in Gaza, with only 20 believed to be alive. Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory, and its airstrikes are widely believed to have killed nearly all the others.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 62,966 Palestinians and injured 160,000 others, mostly women and children, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry.
Independent estimates suggest the death toll is significantly higher.
A five-month Israeli blockade has triggered mass starvation in Gaza, with a UN-backed body officially declaring famine in the northern parts of the strip under Israeli siege.
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