Body of slain hostage Yair Yaakov recovered from Gaza, says family

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Yair Yaakov (Courtesy)
Yair Yaakov (Courtesy)

IDF troops have recovered the body of slain hostage Yair Yaakov during an operation in the Gaza Strip, his son Yagil says.

The military has not yet commented on the operation.

Yaakov, 59, and his partner, Meirav Tal, were abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, as Hamas terrorists assaulted the community. Yaakov’s sons, Or and Yagil, were also taken captive from their mother’s nearby Nir Oz home.

Tal and Yaakov’s sons were released in a November 2023 hostage deal with Hamas.

Yaakov was murdered during the October 7 onslaught, and his death was confirmed by the IDF in February 2024.

Yagil thanks Israel’s security forces for recovering his father’s body and expresses his hope that the remaining hostages will be returned “through a deal that doesn’t endanger soldiers.”

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