Israel recovers body of Brazilian held hostage by Hamas

The bodies of three Hamas hostages were found in Jabalia, north of Gaza, the Israeli military said on Friday (24). Among the victims is Michel Nisenbaum, a 59-year-old Brazilian who lived in Israel.

All were killed on October 7, near Israel's border with Gaza, and their bodies were taken to the enclave by Hamas, according to the military.

Victims' identities: In addition to Nisenbaum, the other two victims are Hanan Yablonka and Orion Hernandez, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Israeli authorities informed the families.

Their bodies were recovered by the IDF and the ISA, Israel's internal security agency, in a military operation in Jabalia overnight.

“At the beginning of the operation, intense fighting was carried out in the area,” the IDF said.

Michel Nisenbaum

Michel Nisenbaum was born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, and lived in Sderot, about 1 km from the Gaza Strip. The Brazilian with Israeli citizenship had lived in the country since he was 12 years old and worked with information technology.

He leaves two daughters and five grandchildren.

In an interview with CNN Brasil in November, Nisenbaum's sister Mary Shohat reported that Nisenbaum was kidnapped by Hamas when he was on his way to an Israeli military base to pick up one of his granddaughters who was accompanying her father on duty.

His car was found by Israeli authorities charred on a road in the border region with the Gaza Strip.

War in Gaza

Israel launched its war in Gaza following Hamas-led attacks on October 7 in southern Israel, where the militant group killed around 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 people.

There are still 121 hostages who were kidnapped on October 7th in Gaza.

Since then, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 35,800 Palestinians, according to the local Ministry of Health.

*In update