An indictment was filed Tuesday against Ibrahim Hilo, the militant accused of retaining the remains of St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul inside Gaza for nearly a decade, following a coordinated probe by Israel Police's Lahav 433 unit, the Shin Bet security service and the IDF that established his part in the abduction and concealment of the soldier's body.

Hilo was seized during a covert mission prior to the recovery of St.-Sgt. Shaul, and details obtained during his questioning proved essential in pinpointing the location and facilitating the return of the remains to Israel.

Hilo belonged to Hamas's Shati Battalion and, according to findings from the Shin Bet and Lahav 433 inquiry, kept possession of St.-Sgt. Shaul's remains for almost ten years.

The charges, submitted by the Southern District Attorney's Office at Beersheba District Court, cite grave security violations.

Clandestine mission recovers St.-Sgt. Shaul

On July 20, 2014, Shaul, then 20, advanced into the Shejaia district near Gaza City inside an armored personnel carrier alongside six fellow troops. The vehicle was hit by a Kornet anti-tank missile launched by Hamas, resulting in the deaths of everyone aboard.

The covert operation, executed in January 2025 from a site in northern Gaza by Shayetet 13 and additional elite units, was disclosed shortly before the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into force.

"I am in shock," Zehava Shaul, Oron's mother, stated at a press briefing following news of her son's remains being recovered. "I have waited for Oron for ten and a half years. And believe me, I never thought I would witness this day."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the mission once cleared for release, noting, "Through a specialized operation mounted by the Shin Bet and the IDF just prior to the ceasefire, we succeeded in returning to Israel the body of Golani Brigade soldier Oron Shaul, of blessed memory."