Israeli forces recover slain hostage's body in Khan Younis

April 6 (UPI) -- Israel Defense Forces recovered the remains of Elad Katzir, who was among more than 200 hostages captured during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The IDF recovered Katzir's body overnight and returned his body to Israeli territory, the IDF announced Saturday in a post on X.

"Our mission since the beginning of the war has been, and remains, to locate and bring the hostages home," the IDF said on X. "We will continue to operate until it is complete."

Katzir, 47, and his mother, Hanna, were kidnapped, and his father, Avraham, was killed by Islamic Jihad militants while at their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the attack.

The IDF said Katzir was slain by Islamic Jihad militants while in captivity in January. Hanna Katzir was released from captivity on Nov. 24.

The IDF used intelligence gathered to determine where Katzir's body was buried in Khan Younis. Medical professionals carried out an identification procedure to positively identify his remains, i24 News reported.

Katzir was among 133 hostages still held in captivity in Gaza, but the IDF estimates 99 are still alive.