Body of Israel soldier killed in Hamas attack held in Gaza, army says

The Israeli military said Tuesday a soldier believed to be held captive in Gaza had been killed in the October 7 attack and his body taken to the Palestinian territory.

Sergeant Itay Hen, 19, "fell on October 7 and was then kidnapped" to the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants, the military said in a statement.

During the attack, Palestinian militants seized around 250 hostages, dozens of whom were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes 99 hostages remain alive in Gaza, along with the bodies of another 32 people.

The unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed 31,184 people, mostly women, children and adolescents, according to the latest toll from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.