Netanyahu ordered the IDF, Shin Bet, and the Israel Police to carry out intense operational and intelligence activity in the Palestinian villages in the area of the disappearance.
The Lebanese Army said a Syrian gang had killed the Christian official and taken his body to Syria.
A similar offense occurred in April 2023, where three Bedouin residents from Laqiya were arrested for attempted kidnapping and assault of a resident of Kiryat Malakhi.
The army announced on Sunday it had rescued 137 hostages in the neighboring state of Zamfara, days before a deadline to pay a 1 billion naira ($767,000) ransom for their release.
Gershkovich, 32, became the first US journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War when he was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 29 last year.
All nine suspects in the case have been convicted, including Lev Tahor’s leader, Nachman Helbrans.
Former Shin Bet official Yossi Amrosi discussed intelligence efforts to rescue hostages in an interview with Yoav Mintz on Radio North 104.5FM.
The kidnapping, which took place on March 7 in Kuriga, a dusty town in northwestern Kaduna State, was the first mass kidnapping in the country since 2021.
Since Black Friday, Israeli companies have shown solidarity through financial and emotional support for the abductees, avoiding any perception of cynicism with sacred symbols.
The kidnapping victim's fingers were broken, and he was forced to surrender his smartwatch and phone.
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