As IDF operations in Gaza to defeat Hamas intensify, the goal of bringing home hostages – whether alive or dead – continues. The Times of Israel reports that IDF forces recovered the body of Ilan Weiss and a second yet-to-be identified hostage in the Gaza Strip on Friday. Weiss, 56, was a member of the emergency response team on the morning of October 7, 2023, and was killed defending Kibbutz Be’eri.
The IDF said the complex recovery mission in Gaza was carried out by Southern Command forces with intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Shin Bet, and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
The forum mourned Weiss as “a loving and devoted family man, [who] excelled at cooking and loved to barbecue.” The group added in its statement: “The hostages are running out of time. We must return all of them home, now!”
Weiss’ wife and daughter, Shiri and Noga, were also taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. They would be one of the first to be released in a deal in November of that year. Noga joined the IDF last May.
Even though it was nearly two years ago, the scars of October 7 are still open for the families in Israel whose loved ones were taken. The Fellowship acted immediately after October 7 and continues to do so now to meet the needs of Israelis impacted by war and terror – and we continue to pray that all the hostages are returned.
