GAZA – The bodies of six Israeli hostages have been retrieved from Gaza during an overnight military operation in Khan Younis, Israeli authorities said Tuesday. In a joint announcement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) named them as Yoram Metzger, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Nadav Popplewell and Yagev Buchshtab.

All but Munder had been announced dead in recent months by the Israeli military. “Tonight our forces returned the bodies of six of our hostages who were held by the murderous terrorist organization Hamas,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday, thanking those involved in the operation for their “bravery and determined action.” “Our hearts ache for the terrible loss,” he said.

Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said that the IDF and ISA had entered Hamas tunnels in a “complex operation” to retrieve the hostages’ bodies. “We will continue working to achieve the goals of this war – returning the hostages to Israel and dismantling Hamas,” Gallant said on X.

A joint statement by the ISA and IDF said the operation was “enabled by precise intelligence” from the two agencies’ intelligence units, and the IDF Intelligence Directorate Hostage Headquarters. There are currently 109 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, including 36 believed to be dead, according to data from the Israeli Government Press Office. Munder, 79, Metzger, 80, and Peri, 80, were all residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, where they were captured during Hamas’ October 7 attacks, according to statements from the kibbutz.

Munder was taken along with his wife, daughter and grandson, who were later freed during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas in November. Munder’s son, Roee, was killed during the attack. Metzger’s wife Tami was also kidnapped and later released in the November truce. Popplewell, who was 51 when abducted, and Buchshtab, 35, were taken from Kibbutz Nirim, the kibbutz said in a statement.

In May, Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed Popplewell, a dual British-Israeli citizen, had died more than a month earlier of wounds he sustained after an Israeli airstrike hit the place where he was held. CNN was not able to independently verify the claim by Hamas. (CNN) …[+]