IDF: Elite unit nabbed ‘key figure’ in Gaza City last year who revealed where Oron Shaul’s body was

The IDF reveals new details from a clandestine operation in the Gaza Strip a year ago, during which the body of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul was recovered by special forces after being held by terror operatives for more than a decade.

Shaul was killed and abducted by Hamas during the 2014 Gaza War, and his remains were located and returned to Israel on January 19, 2025, shortly before a ceasefire took effect between Israel and the terror group.

The military now discloses that the information on the location of Shaul’s body was obtained from a “key figure” who lived at a civilian site in Gaza City, where the remains of the slain soldier were believed to be.

Troops of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit nabbed the figure in a special operation. Following an interrogation by the Shin Bet, the figure provided accurate information on the location of Shaul’s body, the IDF says.

A day later, forces from the Shin Bet, the Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit, and the 188th Armored Brigade raided the civilian site and retrieved the body, where it had been held for many years, according to the military.

The IDF says the operation was planned and carried out in a way that did not endanger any of the living hostages who had been held in Gaza City at the time.