The bodies of three other slain hostages were recovered overnight in Gaza, Israel's military said on Friday.
The bodies of Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum and Orion Hernandez Radoux were found and their families have been notified, the military said. He said the three died on the day of the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel and that their bodies were taken to Gaza.
The announcement comes less than a week after the military said so. They found the bodies of three other Israeli hostages.
Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and kidnapped about 250 more in the October 7 attack. About half of those hostages have since been freed, most in exchanges for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a week-long ceasefire in November.
Israel says around 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of at least 39 others, while 17 hostage bodies have been recovered.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to eliminate Hamas and bring back all the hostages, but has made little progress. He faces pressure to resign and the United States has threatened to reduce its support due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
On Friday, Netanyahu said the country had a duty to do everything possible to return those kidnapped, both those killed and those alive.
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Regarding the hostages, Israelis are divided into two main camps: those who want the government to call off the war and release the hostages, and others who think the hostages are an unfortunate price to pay for defeating Hamas. On and off negotiations mediated by Qatar, The United States and Egypt have given little.
Anger is growing at home for the Government's handling of the hostage crisis..
This week, a group representing the hostages' families released a new video showing the capture of five female Israeli soldiers by Hamas near the Gaza border on October 7. The video shows several of the young soldiers bloodied and injured. In one scene, a militant tells one of the terrified women that she is beautiful. The video sparked more protests across the country calling for the release of the hostages.
The military said Friday that the hostages were found during an operation in Jabaliya. Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a news conference that the military was able to recover the bodies based on “critical intelligence” discovered last week by Israeli forces operating in Gaza.
The group representing the hostages' families said the bodies had been returned to their families for burial.
Nisenbaum, 59, was a Brazilian Israeli from the southern city of Sderot. He was taken hostage when he went to rescue his 4-year-old granddaughter.
Hernández Radoux, 30, was pulled from the Nova music festival, which he attended with his partner, Shani Louk. Louk's body was one of those found by the army almost a week ago.
Yablonka, a 42-year-old father of two, was also removed from the music festival. In December, his family told the Associated Press that he loved music. Yablonka's family did not hear from him for almost two months after his capture, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.
Israel's bombing and ground attacks since the war began have killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Their figures do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The war has pushed a devastated Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, with growing warnings of famine from aid and global groups.
Although the war has weakened Hamas' capabilities, the militants are regrouping in some of the hardest-hit areas in northern Gaza and resuming rocket attacks on nearby Israeli communities. Israel says its troops are operating in Rafah in the south, central Gaza and Jabaliya in the north.
Mednick writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv and John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, contributed to this report.
