The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) announced Thursday that they had rescued five bodies from Gaza, including the bodies of three captive soldiers and one hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
In a statement, the IDF and ISA said:
Yesterday (Wednesday), during an IDF operation led by ISA field analysts and coordinators, the bodies of the murdered hostage Maya Goren, and of the fallen soldiers held captive Master Sergeant (Res.) Oren Goldin, Staff Sergeant Tomer Ahimas, and Sergeant Kiril Brodski were rescued from the Khan Yunis area.
According to reliable intelligence obtained, it was determined that Maya Goren was murdered, and Master Sergeant (Res.) Oren Goldin, Staff Sergeant Tomer Ahimas, and Sergeant Kiril Brodski fell in combat during the brutal October 7th attack, and their bodies were abducted to the Gaza Strip.
The rescue was conducted yesterday by ISA and IDF soldiers from the Commando Brigade, ‘Yahalom’ Unit, and Egoz Unit with the direction of the 98th Division.
The intelligence effort prior to the operation was directed by the ISA and consisted of a combination of intelligence from ISA terrorist interrogations, the IDF Intelligence Directorate Hostages Headquarters and additional sources that contributed to the operation.
Alongside the operational effort, the IDF Hostage and Missing Persons Unit and the Manpower Directorate’s Hostage and Missing Persons Center, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, operated with The National Center of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police to identify and inform the families of the hostages.
The IDF and ISA will continue to operate, using all intelligence and operational means to fulfill the supreme mission of rescuing all of the hostages.
The IDF and ISA later updated their statement to note that the body of Sergeant Major (Res.) Ravid Aryeh Katz was also recovered.
Kibbutz Nir Oz issued a statement on Goren:
After more than nine excruciating months, Maya Goren was brought back home to Nir Oz. Maya will return to the soil of the kibbutz she loved, and will be buried next to her husband Avner Goren, who was also murdered on October 7th.
Maya was 56 years old, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz. Mother to Assif, Bar, Gal, and Dekel. She was a hardworking, dedicated kindergarten teacher, who gave loving care to the kibbutz’s children for many years. Maya was murdered and abducted from the baby daycare at the kibbutz on October 7th.
The return of her body by the IDF brings an important closure for the Goren family and the community of Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Bringing Maya to eternal rest is an important step on the way to recovery of Kibbutz Nir Oz and the State of Israel, a recovery that will not be complete without the return of all hostages – the living ones to their families, and the dead to eternal rest. We must bring them all home, NOW.
There are still over 100 hostages remaining in Gaza, roughly half of whom, it is hoped, are still alive.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
This article has been updated to reflect the fact that the body of Sergeant Major (Res.) Ravid Aryeh Katz was also recovered.
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