Israel on Sunday announced that it had recovered the body of an Israeli soldier, Oron Shaul, who it said had been held in Gaza since 2014.
“In a covert, special operation conducted by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and ISA (Shin Bet) special forces in Gaza, the body of fallen IDF soldier SSGT Oron Shaul, was recovered,” the military said in a statement on X.
He “fell in combat” in Shejaiya on July 20, 2014, during “Operation Protective Edge”, which was also known as the 2014 Gaza War, the IDF said.
“His body was abducted by the Hamas terrorist organization,” it added.
CLEARED FOR PUBLICATION: In a covert, special operation conducted by IDF and ISA special forces in Gaza, the body of fallen IDF soldier SSGT Oron Shaul, was recovered.
Oron fell in combat in Shejaiya on July 20, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge. His body was abducted by the… pic.twitter.com/71ho74LJNV— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 19, 2025
“The efforts to return him, including the gathering of intelligence, continued for over a decade and during this war,” it added.
Operation Protective Edge
Israel launched an aerial operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on July 7, 2014.
Israel said the operation, termed “Operation Protective Edge”, was launched in “response to increasing rocket and mortar fire” on the Israeli town from the Gaza Strip during June and early July 2014, and despite Israel’s “continued efforts” at de-escalation.
The conflict concluded on August 26, with an unconditional ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
New Gaza Ceasefire Begins After Brief Delay
Israel on Sunday began a truce with Hamas in Gaza, nearly three hours after initially scheduled.
The delay in implementing the ceasefire came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked – an hour before the 0630 GMT deadline – that Hamas provide the names of three hostages it was to release on Sunday as part of the agreement.
Hamas said it was committed to the ceasefire but that it had been unable to provide the hostage list for “technical field reasons”, without elaborating. It then shared the names and the ceasefire eventually began at 0915 GMT.
The initial exchange was to see three Israeli hostages released from captivity in return for the first group of Palestinian prisoners.
Israel-Hamas Gaza Ceasefire
A total of 33 hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israeli towns will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce.
Under the deal, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will also be released from Israeli jails.
Hamas’ attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians. Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Negotiations over a second phase of the agreement will begin by the 16th day of phase one and are likely to include the release of all remaining hostages.
A third phase is expected to include the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction.
