The daughter of murdered Israeli hostage Manny Godard, whose body is held in Gaza, said on Saturday that the military recently tried and failed to recover his body in an operation in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces then confirmed the matter.

Godard, 73, and his wife Ayelet, 63, were murdered by terrorists in their home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023. Manny’s body was taken to Gaza. The family was told by the IDF in February 2024 that Manny was murdered during the Hamas assault and that his body was being held by terrorists in Gaza.

Speaking at the weekly rally of hostages’ families in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Bar Godard said that on Monday, rumors began circulating that her father’s body had been recovered in a mission.

“I started shaking and my mind raced,” she said.

The IDF officer who had accompanied the family since the massacre then told her he was on his way to their house.

“I thought that in a moment he’d come and tell me that dad’s here. But the minute he opened the door, I understood: Dad’s not here,” she recounted.

“He told of a daring operation and brave soldiers who tried to bring Dad back. He said they managed to........

© The Times of Israel