The body of slain hostage Idan Shtivi was recently recovered from the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security service, authorities announced on Saturday.

On Friday, the IDF announced it had recovered the bodies of slain hostage Ilan Weiss and of a second hostage, whom it did not identify at the time.

Shtivi, now confirmed as the second slain hostage whose body was recovered in the operation, was murdered at the Nova music festival during the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel.

Shtivi, 28, was a nature lover and photography enthusiast who had been studying sustainability and government at Herzliya’s Reichman University.

His body was identified at the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Shtivi “a man of great courage and heart.”

“On October 7, 2023, he took part in the Nova music festival, and when the terrorist attack began, he acted to rescue and save many participants at the party,” said Netanyahu.

He was seized by Hamas terrorists at the desert rave, where he had volunteered to photograph the event.

He joined the party at 6 a.m. — just half an hour before the attack started — and called his girlfriend at 7, telling her about the missiles overhead and that he was leaving.

Shtivi left in his car with two friends, but was blocked by the terrorists on the road heading north. He then turned the car around and started driving south, but was driven off the road, lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree.

He was last seen in that location, and the car was later found full of bullet holes and blood. His friends’ bodies were found at the scene.

In a statement Saturday night, the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu had spoken with both hostages’ families.

Netanyahu “praised the courage of Ilan and Idan, who acted on October 7 to save lives,” the PMO says,........

© The Times of Israel