Israel says it has brought back the body of Elad Katzir who was abducted during the initial Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) carried out a raid on southern settlement Khan Yunis, the second largest city in the Gaza strip, overnight.
They said that his family has been told.
Mr Katzir is said to have died in captivity but was seen in a video released by his captors in January, saying he missed his family. The video was released by Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group.
The IDF and ISA said in a joint statement: “The body of the abductee Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation, was rescued overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory.
"Our mission is to locate and return the abductees home.
“[We are] working in full coordination with the relevant national and security bodies and will continue until the task is complete."
Mr Katzir’s mother Hanna was also abducted in the Hamas raid in October but she was one of 104 to have been released in a six-day ceasefire at the end of November. His father Avraham was killed during the insurgency.
Israel said that Elad Katzir’s body has been formally identified and was carried out after strategic planning by the militant forces.
