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, JTA reported.
“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 on Aug. 29. “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 cease-fire 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.
In August, President Donald Trump cast doubt on that figure, telling reporters that some Israeli hostages had died inside Gaza since the last cease-fire.
Israel has not responded to a Hamas offer for a cease-fire 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.
