In a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation, the bodies of Yair Yaakov, z”l, and another hostage, whose identity has not yet been released, were recovered today from the Khan Younis area in the Gaza Strip.

Yair Yaakov, z”l, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was abducted and brutally murdered by terrorists from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on October 7.

The body of an additional hostage, whose family has been notified, was also recovered, with their identity to be released later.

Yair Yaakov, 59, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, alongside his partner, Meirav Tal, during the brutal Hamas terrorist assault on the community. That same day, Yaakov’s sons, Or and Yagil, were also taken captive from their mother’s nearby home in Nir Oz.
Meirav Tal and the Yaakov brothers were freed in a November 2023 hostage exchange with Hamas. Tragically, Yair Yaakov was murdered during the initial October 7 attack, with his death confirmed by the IDF in February 2024.

Yagil Yaakov expressed gratitude to Israel’s security forces for recovering his father’s body, while voicing his hope that the remaining hostages will be returned “through a deal that doesn’t endanger soldiers.”