Israel says that the body of hostage Itay Svirsky has been recovered from Gaza.

The Israeli army says that the body of an Israeli taken hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been recovered in a joint operation with the Shin Bet security service.

Itay Svirsky, 38, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, was “murdered in captivity by his captors,” a statement said.

Hamas said in January that Sversky and another hostage, Yossi Sharabi, 53, were killed in Israeli airstrikes.

Earlier, the military said an investigation had concluded that the most plausible explanation for the deaths of six other hostages found dead in a tunnel in Gaza in August was that they were killed by Hamas in an Israeli airstrike. At the time of the “nearby” was shot.

Soldiers recovered the bodies of 35-year-old Yagiu Bushstab, 76-year-old Alexander Densig, 79-year-old Abraham Mander, 80-year-old Yoram Metzger, 79-year-old Chaim Perry and 51-year-old British-Israeli dual citizen Nadav Popelwell. Six Hamas fighters, in the southern Khan Yunis area.

The military said it was “highly likely” the hostages’ deaths were linked to a February attack on a nearby underground facility that targeted Hamas commanders.

It added that pathologists found bullet marks on the bodies of the hostages, while no bullet marks were found on the bodies of the fighters.

According to the military, “it was not possible to determine with absolute certainty the exact cause of death of the hostages or the exact time of firing”.

“According to the most plausible scenario, the terrorists shot the hostages close to the time of the attack,” it said. “However, it is also possible that the hostages were shot by other terrorists post-mortem. It is also possible that the hostages were killed in the area before the attack.

An Israeli military official told reporters that the army believed six Hamas fighters were killed by “secondary effects of our attack” such as lack of oxygen.

The military also stressed that it had “no information”, at the time of the attack, that the hostages were underground at or near the site that was targeted.

“Had such information been available, the strike would not have been conducted,” he said, adding that this was before the necessary planning and approval process.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Buchshtab, Dancyg, Munder, Metzger, Peri and Popplewell were kidnapped on October 7, 2023 from Kibbutz Nir Oz and Kibbutz Nirim.

About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas-led gunmen that day, while 251 others were taken hostage and taken back to Gaza.

The US, Egypt and Qatar are working on a deal to secure the release of the 96 remaining hostages, 35 of whom are believed to be dead, in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza.

But the talks have stalled, with Hamas and Israel blaming each other for the stalemate.

The Forum for Hostages and Missing Families said the findings of the military investigation “serve as further evidence that the lives of hostages are under constant, daily threat”.

“Time is of the essence – many hostages are still alive and enduring impossible conditions of abuse, starvation and isolation,” he warned.

The forum called on the US and other mediators to “make every effort to secure a deal for the return of the hostages”.

He separately welcomed the return of Itay Svirsky’s body for burial in Israel, saying it “provides important closure for his family”.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday that “pressure is mounting on the evil organization known as Hamas”.

“There’s a chance we’ll actually be able to push through the hostage deal this time.”

More than 44,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched a military campaign in response to the Oct. 7 attack, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

On Wednesday evening, at least 20 people were killed in an airstrike in an Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone” in al-Wasi, west of Khan Yunis, according to medics and the Hamas-run Civil Defense Agency.

Civil Defense Spokesman Mahmood Bisal said that a tent camp built for displaced families was bombed and five children were among the dead.

The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted “senior Hamas terrorists” in the area.

Another 10 people were killed in Israeli strikes on three houses in Gaza City, northern Gaza, according to Mr. Bassel.

Earlier, five people were killed in an Israeli attack on the civilian Nusrat refugee camp in central Gaza, medical experts said. Local media said four of the dead were children and that the strike targeted a queue outside a bakery.

The Israeli military said it hit a “terrorist target” in Nusirat, without giving details, according to the Associated Press.