Israel Defense Forces Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, whose body was recovered from Gaza by Israeli security forces on Sunday, was set to be laid to rest in Porio Illit, just west of the Sea of Galilee, on Monday at 2 p.m.

Shaul fell in combat in the Gaza neighborhood of Shuja’iyya on July 20, 2014, during the IDF’s “Operation Protective Edge.” His remains were held by Hamas for more than 10 years.

“I didn’t believe I’d reach this moment. I have chills all over,” his mother Zehava told Ynet. “I want to thank all those who made the supreme effort to return Oron to me; what I thought would not happen. Here, it happened. I am very excited. It’s hard for me to even speak. I am very grateful to the prime minister and the defense establishment. I thank all the soldiers … I hope all the abductees who are still in Gaza will return,” she said.

Oron’s brother, Aviram, said that it was a difficult, bittersweet moment for the family.

“This is closure for the family, that received relief, comfort and peace. We are still not processing [the return of his body], it’s hard to express in words what I’m feeling,” he said.

Israeli security forces retrieved the body in a covert operation in the Gaza Strip that involved special units of the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

Following the operation, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Rassan Alian, and the commander of the Golani Brigade, Col. Adi Ganon, visited Shaul’s family.

Alian, who served as the commander of the Golani Brigade, in which Shaul served, during “Protective Edge,” expressed his condolences to the family and emphasized the IDF’s commitment to working toward the return of all abductees currently held captive in the Gaza Strip.

Ganon said, “The Golani Brigade will continue to embrace and support the family. In an emotional closure, forces from Battalion 51 took part in the emotional rescue operation alongside other special forces. The Shaul family, your Oron, our Oron, has returned home.”

According to Israeli estimates, there are 97 hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza, including 94 abducted during the Oct. 7 attacks.

Of the 251 hostages taken on Oct. 7, 157 have been returned or rescued, and Hamas is believed to be holding 35 bodies, 34 of them taken on Oct. 7, 2023. Lt. Hadar Goldin’s remains were kidnapped by the terror group in 2014.

Image - JNS/Oron Shaul, 30. Credit: Courtesy of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.