Photo: Depositphotos
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), together with the General Security Service (Shabak), conducted an operation in the Gaza Strip that resulted in the discovery of the remains of Manny Menachem Goddard (ז “ל), an Israeli citizen who was abducted and murdered by Islamic Jihad militants during a terrorist attack on 7 October 2023.
This was stated in an official statement released by the IDF and Shabak press services on Saturday evening.
According to the report, the body fragments were discovered during a special operation in the southern Gaza Strip – near the terrorist group’s fortified position in the city of Rafah. Following the recovery, the remains were transferred to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, where they were identified with the assistance of the Israeli police. The IDF has already notified the victim’s family of the results of the examination and is providing them with the necessary psychological and organisational support.
At the same time, as the statement emphasises, the bulk of Manny Goddard’s body remains in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army and intelligence services continue search operations, emphasising: “We will not cease our efforts to recover all hostages and the dead”.
Goddard’s family issued a public statement confirming that the attempt to recover the body has now failed. The details of the operation remain classified, but sources say it was a highly complex mission conducted deep in enemy territory under conditions of high combat risk.
This case once again highlights the dramatic situation of the hostages abducted on 7 October and the complexity of the operations to establish their fate and return them home.
