Israel Defence Forces (IDF) says it has recovered the body of Yehudit Weiss, who was abducted by Hamas

Israeli soldiers have found the body of a female hostage taken by Hamas on October 7, it was announced last night.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it has now recovered the body of Yehudit Weiss, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas terrorists’ killing spree.

The 64-year-old was discovered near the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Her husband Shmulik Weiss was found murdered in the safe room of their home.

Troops of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 603rd Battalion found the body, along with Hamas military equipment including assault rifles and RPGs, in a building adjacent to the hospital, according to the IDF.

The body was brought back to Israel for identification, after which her family was notified. The IDF did not provide details on her cause of death or when she was killed.

“The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the family,” it said in a statement.

“The national mission… is to locate the missing and return the hostages home.”

The mother of five worked with children in her kibbutz kindergarten and was being treated for cancer when she was abducted.

The grim discovery was announced as a second Gaza hospital was at the centre of fierce fighting between Israel and Hamas last night, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

It said a ‘violent attack’ was under way on al-Ahli hospital, where up to 300 people were killed in a hotly debated strike last month.

Hamas blamed Israel, but Israel said a misfired Islamic Jihad group rocket caused the blast – an analysis supported by US and UK military experts. Israel said yesterday it had found ‘information and footage’ relating to hostages on a laptop at al-Shifa.

Troops raided the hospital on Wednesday, claiming it sits above a Hamas command centre, and last night revealed they uncovered an ‘operational tunnel shaft’ in the complex and a ‘vehicle containing a large number of weapons’.

Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also published a video on X of what appeared to be the tunnel shaft.

The discovery came as Israeli troops prevented another possible ‘massacre’ by three Hamas terrorists armed with guns and axes at a border crossing near Bethlehem on the West Bank.

One soldier, Cpl Avraham Fetena, 20, was killed in the early morning attack, which also left five others injured.