The remains of Franco-Israeli hostage Elya Toledano recovered in Gaza

The Israeli army announced Friday that it had recovered from the Gaza Strip and brought back to Israel the remains of Franco-Israeli Elya Toledano, who had been taken hostage by Hamas during its bloody attack on October 7. Elya Toledano was kidnapped on the morning of October 7 from the scene of the Tribe of Nova music festival in which he was participating with his friend Mia Shem, a Franco-Israeli who was released as part of a truce agreement at the end of November.

“During the operation in Gaza, the body of hostage Elya Toledano (28 years old) was recovered by army special forces and repatriated to Israel,” the Israeli army said in a statement, specifying that the forensic doctors had correctly identified the remains. Families of hostages had indicated in recent weeks that they were unaware of the fate of Elya Toledano, namely whether or not he was still alive.

Around 135 hostages still in Hamas hands

“The Israeli army presents its sincere condolences to the family,” she added in a statement, assuring that the young man’s relatives had been informed of the discovery of his body before this public statement. Israel declared war on Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007, in retaliation for the bloody attack carried out on its soil on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist movement, which left around 1,200 dead, mostly civilians. according to the authorities.

Some 240 people were also kidnapped and taken to Gaza on the day of the attack, about 135 of whom the military says remain in the hands of Hamas and affiliated groups after the release of 105 hostages during a seven-day truce that ended on December 1. The families of the hostages also said they were “shocked” this week by the announcement by the director of Mossad – the Israeli foreign intelligence service – of the refusal to carry out new negotiations to free them and demanded explanations from the authorities.