Israel says hostage Noa Marciano found dead near Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital
Following last month's assault by the Hamas, Israel has verified the discovery of a second woman's corpse who had been taken into the Gazan territory.
A building adjacent to the Al-Shifa Hospital was where the body of 19-year-old Cpl Noa Marciano was found, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
Authorities in Israel announced on Thursday that they had discovered the lifeless corpse of a 65-year-old hostage at a residence close to the aforementioned medical facility.
Soldiers are still scouring the area surrounding Gaza's largest hospital.
On X (previously Twitter), an IDF official named Daniel Hagari said that Israeli intelligence had directed soldiers to the precise spot where her corpse lay.
Cpl. Marciano's cause of death was not disclosed by the IDF. Although it was not possible to independently confirm the claim, the military arm of Hamas stated that she was killed in an Israeli air strike on 9 November.
While Cpl Marciano was on duty as a lookout at the Nahal Oz kibbutz, a group of gunmen stormed the area, launching attacks on numerous Israeli villages, military bases, and a music festival attended by hundreds of young people. The terrorists had broken through the adjacent Israel-Gaza border.
Adi Marciano, Cpl. Marciano's mother, reportedly told Haaretz that she last spoke to her daughter earlier that morning, just before the attack.
"She told me she was in a protected space and that there had been an infiltration... She said that she had to end the call. I didn't hear shots or screams. Half an hour later, I sent her a message, but she didn't reply."
On Monday, Hamas released a video in which she appeared. Out of the 240 hostages kidnapped by Hamas last month, just four have been released thus far.
According to Israeli sources, the cross-border attack by Hamas killed at least 1,200 people. The health ministry in Gaza, which is operated by Hamas, has reported 11,400 casualties since Israel began its counterattack.
On Wednesday morning, the Israeli forces invaded Al-Shifa, the biggest hospital in Gaza City, which had become the centre of fighting earlier in the week.
According to the IDF, the hospital has been serving as a command hub for Hamas, and they have spent the past two days searching the complex for any signs of this. Neither Hamas nor the BBC have been able to independently confirm the other's assertions about their operations there.