During an operation in Gaza, the body of hostage Elia Toledano, 28, was recovered by IDF Special Forces and brought back to Israel.
After an identification procedure carried out by medical officials and military rabbis together with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, on Thursday the IDF, Israel Police, and the Coordinator for the Captives and Missing in the Prime Minister’s Office representatives informed the family of Toledano, who was taken hostage by the Hamas terrorist organization on October 7, that his body has been recovered and returned to Israel.
“The IDF sends the family its heartfelt condolences,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
“Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home. We are working together with security agencies, and with all intelligence and operational means in order to return all of the hostages home,” the statement added.
Toledano was kidnapped from the party in Re’im, where he went with his friend Mia Schem, who was also kidnapped and was later freed as part of the recent hostage deal with Hamas. Toledano worked as a producer of family events.