THE three bodies returned by Hamas overnight have been identified as IDF soldiers killed by their terrorist captors.
Colonel Asaf Hamami, 40, Captain Omer Neutra, 21, and Sergeant Oz Daniel, 19, are now back in Israel, where their families can say their final goodbyes.
Hamami was the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade when he was killed while fighting with Hamas thugs on October 7.
He was believed to have been murdered in the border community of Kibbutz Nirim in Gaza before his body was kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
He is survived by his wife and three young children.
Teenager Daniel was also killed while fighting the twisted terrorists as part of the 77th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade near Nirim.
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He is survived by his parents and twin sister.
The last man to return home is Neutra, a lone US soldier.
He was a platoon commander of the same Daniel battalion and is believed to have been killed on the same day.
Brave Neutra is survived by her parents and four younger siblings.
The IDF confirmed the tragic return of three of its own men after they were all identified on Sunday night.
A statement read: “Following the completion of the identification process, IDF representatives informed the families of the hostages killed in combat that their loved ones had been repatriated to Israel and identified.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office added in a statement: “The Government of Israel “shares the deep pain of the Hamami, Neutra and Daniel families, and of all the families of the fallen hostages.”
Hamas reportedly claimed that the remains had been found in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza.
There are still eight hostages dead in Gaza.
The release of the hostages’ bodies has been at the center of an ongoing series of disputes between Israel and Hamas over the past two years of war.
Hamas says it has found all the hostages it can locate on its own.
They have said they are struggling to locate other bodies among the rubble and ruins of the Gaza Strip, where it is estimated that around 80 percent of buildings have been destroyed.
Egypt and the Red Cross have now been asked to use excavators to help search through the rubble.
It comes amid controversy after chilling footage captured Hamas thugs appearing to attempt to rebury the body of a hostage before pretending to uncover the body last week.
Israeli drones recorded the shocking footage from Gaza showing what is believed to be a body bag placed in a large hole in the ground and covered with dirt.
Shortly thereafter, the terrorists simulated a “discovery” of the body.
Israel also claimed that the remains belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, 27, an Israeli whose body was already returned in 2023.
The IDF responded by attacking Gaza with a wave of airstrikes.
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At least 31 people died throughout the strikes while Tel Aviv promised that Hamas would “pay” for breaking the fragile ceasefire and returning the remains of the wrong hostages.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the retaliation on Tuesday night, accusing Hamas of “deceit and betrayal.”
