By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
JERUSALEM/GAZA (Worthy News) – Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza plunged into mourning on Saturday, the Jewish sabbath, after Israel said its troops had found the body of a second woman held hostage by Hamas.
The woman was identified as Noa Marciano, a 19-year-old soldier who was one of about 240 people kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on October 7.
Marciano’s human remains were found during a search close to al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility.
Earlier, Israel’s army confirmed Friday that its troops in Gaza found the body of hostage Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old woman who was among those abducted by Hamas.
Weiss, “who worked with kindergarten kids,” was “abducted by Hamas from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri” on October 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement monitored by Worthy News. “Her husband, Shmulik Weiss, was murdered in their home. Yehudit and Shmulik were parents to 5 children.”
The military added that “IDF soldiers recovered her body from a building adjacent to the [Al-]Shifa Hospital in Gaza earlier today,” Thursday.
“AK-47s, [rifles and Rocket Propelled Grenades] RPGs, and other military equipment were also found where Yehudit’s body was located. The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the Weiss family,” the IDF added.
PHONE AND INTERNET
Despite ongoing clashes, phone and internet services are returning to Gaza, a Palestinian telecoms firm said following a 24-hour blackout due to a lack of fuel.
Earlier, Israel’s war cabinet said it would allow two fuel trucks into the Gaza Strip each day for the United Nations to continue aid work.
Israel has warned that fuel will only give “minimal” support for water and sewage systems and will be tracked to make sure it doesn’t reach Hamas.
U.S. officials familiar with the situation say most of the fuel will go towards delivering aid, and a portion will power phone and internet services.
It came as fighting intensified in Gaza, with the Hamas-run Health Ministry claiming more than 12,000 people have been killed in the territory since Israel began its retaliatory strikes.
Israel says it does not deliberately target civilians but seeks to destroy Hamas, which killed some 1,200 people last month, a day referred to as “Black Sabbath” in Israel.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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