The Israeli military has announced the recovery of the bodies of five hostages during an operation in Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza. According to the military, the remains—among them a kindergarten teacher and several soldiers—were returned to Israel.

The deceased include 56-year-old Maya Goren, who was killed in the kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led assault in southern Israel on October 7. The other victims, soldiers Tomer Ahimas, Kiril Brodski, Ravid Aryeh Katz, and Oren Goldin, were also killed in combat on that same day. Katz was part of the security team at Nir Oz.

The bodies were retrieved on Wednesday from the area around Khan Younis, where Israeli forces have initiated new attacks this week. According to the media office of the Gaza government, at least 129 Palestinians have been killed and several hundred injured in the past 48 hours as a result of Israel’s recent offensive, which has displaced approximately 150,000 people.

In a speech to the U.S. Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his government is working intensively to secure the release of the remaining hostages. However, families of eight American hostages in Gaza expressed their “deep” disappointment that Netanyahu had not provided guarantees that their loved ones would return home. They called for Netanyahu to conclude negotiations for a hostage deal “before it is too late.”

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 39,145 people and injuries to 90,257, while the death toll in Israel from the Hamas-led attacks is estimated at 1,139, with dozens of individuals still held captive in Gaza.