JERUSALEM: An Israeli soldier killed during the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip was buried on Monday in Israel after his remains were recovered from the Palestinian territory by the army over the weekend.
Oron Shaul was 21 years old when the military vehicle he was in was blown up during an operation in Gaza City on July 20, 2014, claiming his life and those of six other soldiers.
Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, whose remains are still in Gaza, have been the focus of indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas for years.
Shaul’s body was retrieved by Israeli forces during a special military operation over the weekend, according to the army.
Goldin and two civilians presumed to be alive who have been held in Gaza since 2014 and 2015 respectively are among the hostages at the center of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that took effect on Sunday.
Israel counts them in addition to the 91 people still being held in Gaza after they were abducted by Hamas militants during their unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The two civilians are also included among those set to be freed in hostage-prisoner exchanges during the ongoing first stage of the ceasefire.