Overview
- The military said the joint IDF–ISA mission occurred on January 19, 2025, hours before a ceasefire, and recovered Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul from a Gaza City residence.
- Intelligence emerged after Sayeret Matkal apprehended a key resident at the site whose ISA interrogation provided the precise location of the remains.
- A subsequent raid by Shin Bet operatives with Shayetet 13 and the 188th Armored Brigade, under the 162nd Division and directed by the Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters, removed the body.
- Forensic identification at the Abu Kabir National Center of Forensic Medicine confirmed the fallen soldier’s identity before his return for burial in Poria Illit.
- The IDF disclosed the operation’s details nearly a year later and said efforts continue to locate and repatriate other soldiers missing since 2014.