JERUSALEM, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli security forces announced on Wednesday that they had recovered the body of an Israeli hostage kidnapped to Gaza during Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and took him back to Israel.

In a joint statement, the Shin Bet internal security agency and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the body of Itai Svirsky was retrieved in a military operation.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said during a press briefing that Svirsky was abducted alive and later killed by his captors.

Svirsky, 38, a resident of Tel Aviv, was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri while visiting his parents, who were killed during the Hamas-led onslaught. According to a statement from Kibbutz Be'eri, Svirsky was presumed dead as of January 2024.

Hagari also presented findings from a military investigation into the deaths of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered in August from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The investigation suggested that their deaths were likely linked to an Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas, 150-200 meters from their location of captivity.

Pathological examinations revealed indications of gunshots on the hostages' bodies, but no gunshot wounds were found on the bodies of the militants guarding them. Hagari said the most plausible scenario was that the hostages were shot by their guards shortly before or during the airstrike.

"At the time of the strike, the military had no information that hostages were being held in the underground compound," Hagari said.

To date, Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of 38 hostages, while 117 hostages have been released alive, most of them through negotiated deals. About 100 others are still held hostage in Gaza, and Israel estimates that about a third of the hostages are no longer alive. Enditem

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