TEL AVIV, Israel. The bodies of three more hostages killed on October 7 were recovered overnight from Gaza, Israel’s army announced Friday. This comes as the top United Nations court prepares to rule on whether Israel must halt its military operations and withdraw from the enclave.
The victims, identified as Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, and Orion Hernandez Radoux, were found and their families notified. The army stated they were killed at the Mefalsim intersection on the day of the attack, and their bodies were subsequently taken to Gaza.
This discovery follows the army’s recent recovery of three other Israeli hostages’ bodies who were also killed on October 7.
During the October 7 attack, Hamas-led militants killed approximately 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others. About half of the hostages have since been freed, mostly in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a weeklong cease-fire in November. Currently, Israel reports around 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza, along with at least 39 bodies, while 17 bodies of hostages have been recovered.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to eliminate Hamas and secure the return of all hostages, but progress has been limited. Facing increasing pressure to resign and threats from the U.S. to scale back support due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s duty to return those abducted, both deceased and alive.
On Friday, Netanyahu stated, “We have a duty to do everything to return those abducted, both those killed and those who are alive.”
In a post on X, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed condolences to the family of Hernández-Radoux, a French-Mexican citizen, and reaffirmed France’s commitment to releasing the hostages.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to rule on an urgent plea by South Africa to order Israel to cease operations. While Israel is unlikely to comply with such an order, a cease-fire ruling by the ICJ judges would add pressure to Israel’s increasingly isolated government.
The Israeli public is divided over the hostage situation, with some advocating for the government to prioritize the hostages’ release, while others believe the war against Hamas should continue despite the hostages’ plight. Negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States, and Egypt have made little progress.
Earlier this week, a group representing the hostages’ families released new footage showing Hamas capturing five female Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border on October 7. The video, depicting several young soldiers wounded and terrified, has intensified protests across Israel calling for the hostages’ release.
The army reported on Friday that the hostages’ bodies were found during an operation in Jabaliya. Military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated the recovery was based on “critical intelligence” uncovered last week by Israeli forces operating in Gaza. The bodies have been returned to their families for burial.
Nisenbaum, 59, a Brazilian-Israeli from Sderot, was taken hostage while attempting to rescue his 4-year-old granddaughter. Orion Hernandez Radoux, 30, was captured at the Nova music festival, where he was with his partner Shani Louk, whose body was found nearly a week ago. Yablonka, 42, a father of two, was also taken from the festival. His family had no news of him for nearly two months.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
