TEL AVIV: Israel identified the body of hostage Idan Shtivi, recovered from the Gaza Strip in a military operation this week that retrieved the remains of two hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday. Netanyahu’s office had announced on Friday the retrieval of Ilan Weiss’s body along with the remains of another hostage, whose identity is now known to be that of Shtivi but had not been disclosed at the time. With Weiss and Shtivi’s bodies recovered, Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom only 20 are believed to be alive.

Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants almost 22 months ago, roughly 50 remain in Gaza including 20 that Israel believes to be alive

Ilan Weiss was killed during Hamas's attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.