Israeli Troops Find 2 Bodies of Hamas Hostages Near Al-Shifa Hospital

Israel has confirmed this week that they retrieved the bodies of two of the hostages Hamas abducted in its October 7 attack in southern Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday (November 17) that they had discovered the body of one of its own soldiers, 19-year-old Cpl. Noa Marciano, in a building next to the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Israeli soldiers are continuing to search in and around Gaza's biggest hospital, the BBC reported.

IDF chief spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that Israeli intelligence led soldiers to the exact location of Marciano's body.

No further details were provided by the IDF on how Marciano died, but Hamas's military wing said she was killed by an Israeli air strike on November 9.

However, Hamas's information could not be independently verified.

Israeli Troops Find 2 Bodies of Hamas Hostages Near Al-Shifa Hospital — Soldiers carry the coffin of Noa Marciano, a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, as they walk near photos of her displayed at her funeral on November 17, 2023 at a cemetery in Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Israel. Marciano, a 19-year-old soldier who served in the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps of the 414th Regiment, was captured by Hamas fighters during their Oct. 7 attack and taken back to Gaza. The Israeli military announced her death earlier this week. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

How Marciano Died

It was earlier revealed that Marciano was serving as a lookout at the Nahal Oz kibbutz when it was attacked by Hamas fighters.

Cpl. Marciano's mother, Adi Marciano, told Haaretz that she last spoke to her daughter on the morning of the attack.

"She told me she was in a protected space and that there had been an infiltration... She said that she had to end the call," she said. "I didn't hear shots or screams. Half an hour later, I sent her a message, but she didn't reply."

Marciano appeared in a video released by Hamas on Monday (November 13), which the IDF called an act of "psychological terrorism."

Body of Yehudit Weiss Found

Earlier, on Thursday (November 16), the IDF also said its troops found the body of 65-year-old woman Yehudit Weiss in a house near the hospital.

According to the New York Times, Israeli troops have transferred Weiss's body to Israel for forensic testing by health officials, who confirmed her identity. Her husband, Shmulik Weiss, was murdered in their Kibbutz Be'eri home in the October 7 attack, Admiral Hagari said.

"Unfortunately, Yehudit was murdered by the terrorists in the Gaza Strip, and we didn't reach her on time," he added.