The bodies of three Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists amid the October 7 attacks were retrieved overnight from Gaza following a joint operation by IDF and the Shin Bet security service (ISA), it has been revealed.
Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum and Oryon Hernandez-Radoux were abducted from the Supernova music festival and the Mefalsim intersection just one mile away from the Gaza border on October 7, and were subsequently murdered by Hamas, Israeli officials said today.
Hernandez-Radoux, 30, was the boyfriend of Shani Louk, the 22-year-old German-Israeli girl who became a symbol of the brutal Hamas attack after the world witnessed images of gunmen parading her half-naked body through Gaza on the back of a pick-up truck.
Their bodies were reportedly located by the IDF and ISA and recovered from a location in Jabalia, north of Gaza city, following a bitter firefight.
IDF representatives notified the families of the deceased today after their identities were confirmed by medical officials at the Israeli National Forensic Institute and the Israel police.
Oryon Hernandez-Radoux
Hernandez-Radoux was the boyfriend of Shani Louk, the 22-year-old German-Israeli girl who became a symbol of the brutal Hamas attack
Shani Louk and Oryon Hernandez Radoux
Shani Louk is pictured with Oron Hernandez Radoux
Shocking footage shared on social media showed Palestinian fighters parading Shani’s naked body on the back of a pick-up truck
Palestinian militants drive back to the Gaza Strip with the body of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli dual citizen, on October 7
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a volunteer group founded by loved ones of those kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, this morning shared a touching tribute to the three men found dead in Jabalia.
‘It is with profound sorrow that the Families Forum bows its head following the announcement of the murder of Michel Nisenbaum, Hanan Yablonka, and Oryon Hernandez Radoux.
‘May their memories be a blessing, at the hands of Hamas terrorists.’
‘The sorrowful return of Michel, Hanan, and Oryon is another heartbreak for the 125 families of the hostages, who share the pain, sorrow, and endless worry.
‘The recovery of their bodies is a silent but resolute reminder that the State of Israel is obligated to immediately dispatch negotiation teams with a clear demand to bring about a deal that will swiftly return all the hostages home: the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial, it concluded’.
Hernandez-Radoux was a French-Mexican citizen and resident of Mexico. He had attended the Supernova festival alongside his girlfriend Shani, and their friend Keshet Casarotti, both of whom were subsequently killed by Hamas.
Michel Nisenbaum, 59, was a Brazilian-Israeli citizen who resided in Sderot, just over a mile from the border with Gaza.
A father of two daughters and grandfather of six, Michel was taken hostage when he went to rescue his four-year-old granddaughter who was with her father at the Re’im military base.
Hanan Yablonka, 42, was an Israeli citizen from Tel Aviv, and father to nine-year-old Yarin and 12-year-old Emily. Like so many others, he was taken hostage from the Supernova festival and dragged back to Gaza.
The discovery of the bodies comes one week after the remains of Oryon’s partner Shani were retrieved from a tunnel in Jabalia.
Shani was seen dancing at the Nova Festival, where she was one of 364 people slaughtered by Hamas
Shani Louk and Oryon Hernandez Radoux
A drone view shows mourners during the funeral of German-Israeli Shani Louk, who was killed in the October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Srigim, Israel, May 19, 2024
Atim Louk (L) is among the pall bearers carrying the casket of his sister Shani Louk on May 19, 2024 in Srigim-Li On, Israel
Ricarda Louk places a flower on the grave of her daughter Shani Louk on May 19, 2024 in Srigim-Li On, Israel
Shani’s remains were found alongside the bodies of Itzhak Gelerenter, 57 and Amit Buskila, 28, in a similar night-time raid last week.
All three attended the Supernova festival near kibbutz Re’im on October 7, one of the first sites to be attacked by Hamas on its deadly incursion into Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deaths of the three revellers ‘heartbreaking,’ adding: ‘We will return all of our hostages, both the living and the dead.’
Shani was seen dancing at the Nova Festival hours before the Hamas attack.
Her father spoke out in defence of the award given to an AP photographer who captured the chilling moment the half-naked body of his 22-year-old daughter was paraded across Gaza by Hamas.
His remarks come after friends said they were shocked that the photograph had won the prestigious award and were in tears.
The decision to award AP photographer Ali Mahmud the oldest photojournalism gong by Reynolds Journalism Institute earlier this month, where he placed first in ‘Team Picture Story of the Year,’ sparked outrage.
Shani was one of the roughly 1,200 people killed on October 7 by Hamas
Shani with her mother Ricarda (pictured, left)
Amit Buskila (pictured) was also found dead in Gaza
Itzhak Gelerenter was found by the IDF
The photo depicts five armed Hamas members in a pickup truck, one of whom is resting his feet on murdered Louk’s limp, mutilated body. Further footage shows the terrorists parading her body in Gaza amidst cheering crowds with one spitting on her remains.
But Louk’s father, Nissim, said: ‘It’s good that the photo won the prize’.
‘This is one of the most important photos in the last 50 years,’ he told Ynet.
He expressed a firm belief that his daughter’s photograph will leave a mark on human history, considering it a symbol of the current era and hopefully serving as documentation for generations to come.
‘These are some of the photos that shape human memory, the Jew raising his hands, the paratroopers at the Western Wall, photos that symbolise an era,’ he continued.
‘This documentation of Shani, and of Noa Argamani on the motorcycle, they symbolise this era. I think it’s a good thing to use it to inform the future.’
‘If I start crying, what will come of it? This is history. In 100 years they will look and know what happened here. I travel the world and everyone knows who Shani is,’ he told Ynet.
But Shani’s mother Ricarda said she was horrified by the picture, saying it forced her and her family to relive the trauma of losing their loved one.
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