Body of Israeli hostages Ilan Weiss recovered from Gaza after 693 days in captivity

The remains of an Israeli hostage that spent almost two years in captivity in the Gaza Strip were recovered on Friday, the country’s army announced.

“The body of Ilan Weiss, which was held hostage for 693 days in Gaza, was recovered from a joint military operation of the Israeli defense and the Israeli security agency,” said the FDI.

“Ilan was from Kibbutz Be’eri and left his home on the morning of October 7 to join the Kibbutz emergency intervention team. He was murdered and kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 massacre,” he added. “His wife Shiri, 54, and his daughter Noga, 19, were taken hostage to Gaza and released during the cease-fire agreement in November 2023.”

The body of a second Israeli was also recovered on Friday and is now being identified, according to the Associated Press.

Israel eliminates the Gaza terrorist who participated in October. Attack on Kibbutz, took the hostage of Yarden Bibas

A poster of Israeli hostage Ilan Weiss, which was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, is seen in Avignon, France, April 27, 2025. (Nicolas Guyonnet / Hans Lucas via AFP / Getty Images)

“It is a soft-to-me-and-family moment that the Weiss family is brought together with their beloved, even if it comes back not as they would have liked,” said Rubi Chen, who thinks that his son is still in captivity in Gaza, was quoted by the AP.

Chen said his family had received information that his son Itay had not survived the attack on October 7, but Hamas had no information on the place where his son is.

The Wormtage and Familious Israeli Families forum said that “Ilan was a devoted father – humble, principle and a father devoted to his daughters”.

“He liked to welcome guests, take care of his garden and enjoy a beer. On weekends, he was going to do the VTT with his brother-in-law Gil Boyum, another member of the Kibbutz Emergency Team who was also killed on this black Sabbath,” he added.

Israel recovers the remains of three other bodies held by Hamas: “No victory until the last return in hostage”

Friday, there are 48 hostages left in Gaza, including 20 The era of Israel.

“I offer my sincere condolences and my support for the Weiss family and the community of Kibbutz Be’eri on the recovery of the hostage body Ilan Weiss, of blessed memory,” wrote Israeli president Israeli Isaac Herzog on X.

“Ilan showed courage and noble spirit when he fought the terrorists on this dark day. In his death, he gave life. And since then, his family has shown an extraordinary force in their struggle for his return,” continued Herzog.

Parents and supporters of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip participate in a demonstration calling for their release while they walk in an area near the Israeli border in southern Israel, Thursday, August 28, 2025. (AP / Maya Levin)

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“The horrors committed by Hamas, murder, torture, abduction are crimes against humanity. The world must show moral clarity, apply pressure and act for the immediate release of all hostages. We will not rest until each of them is brought home, the living with the loving embrace of their families, and the falls in the dignity. The last ones, “he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.