EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO)- A 16-year-old boy was recognized with a 911 Hero Award after he saved his little sister’s life when she was choking on a coin.

16-year-old Conner Leavell is remembering what he and his family went through on May 5 when his 2-year-old sister, Gianna, began choking on a coin she found on the floor.

“It was a very scary moment for both me and my mom, as we thought we weren’t going to be able to help her,” said Leavell.

Leavell’s mom, Rebecca Guerra, said Gianna was born with a genetic disorder, and every minute without air was life-threatening.

“We could not get it out. And it was closing her airway as it came back up and down,” said Guerra. “Connor called 911. He remained calm. He was giving me instructions.”

Leavell said he was staying as calm as possible, especially for his other younger brother, who witnessed the choking.

“I was trying to keep him calm. I was trying to help Gianna the best that I could. He was super scared, and I wanted to do everything that I could to make sure that he was okay as well,” said Leavell.

Guerra said she’s glad her son was with them when this accident happened.

“I was trying to keep calm, to keep them calm, but he was really my rock and keeping me calm. I don’t know what I would have done without him,” said Guerra.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.

Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of three hostages who had been held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attack, according to the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The hostages were identified as 71-year-old Ofra Keidar and 21-year-old Yonatan Samerano civilians, and 19-year old soldier Shay Levinson.

Hamas agrees to hostage releases Photo shows Women and children carrying bottles and bags walk along a dusty road among flattened and wrecked buildings. Hamas responds to US-backed ceasefire proposals, saying it would agree to release 28 living and dead hostages, restating its demand for an end to the war and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

All three were killed on the day of the attack, October 7, 2023, the military said.

The military did not provide any details about the recovery operation but did say the bodies were recovered on Sunday, local time.

“The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran,” Mr Netanyahu said in a statement.

With this latest retrieval, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

Hostage families call for their release

The Hostages Families Forum, the main organisation representing families of the hostages, has repeatedly called for a deal to release the remaining captives.

“Particularly against the backdrop of current military developments and the significant achievements in Iran, we want to emphasise that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving any sort of victory,” it said in a statement on Sunday.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Families of the remaining hostages have been rallying in Tel Aviv. (Reuters: Violeta Santos Moura)

Mr Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.

Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities.

The subsequent Israeli campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run strip, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population, plunged the enclave into humanitarian crisis and left much of the territory in ruins.

Reuters/AP

Israel recovers bodies of three hostages from Gaza

4 hours ago Share Save Thomas Mackintosh BBC News Share Save

Reuters The bodies of Yonatan Samerano, Ofra Keidar and Sgt Shai Levinson were retrieved on Saturday, the IDF confirmed

The bodies of three Israeli hostages have been recovered from the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said. He confirmed that Yonatan Samrano, Ofra Kedar and Staff Sgt Shai Levinson’s remains were retrieved on Saturday in a military operation. “I thank our commanders and fighters for a successful operation, for their determination and courage,” Netanyahu said in a statement. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have recovered the bodies of eight hostages from Gaza so far this month.

“The campaign to return the abductees continues continuously and is taking place in parallel with the campaign against Iran,” Netanyahu said. “We will not rest until we return all of our abductees home – both the living and the dead.” The IDF said the bodies were recovered on Saturday, but did not say where in the Gaza Strip the remains were found. Ms Keidar was 71 when she was killed at a kibbutz and her body taken into Gaza. Staff Sgt Levinson “engaged and fought terrorists on the morning of 7 October and fell in combat,” the IDF said. He was 19 at the time of his death. Earlier on Sunday, Mr Samerano’s father announced that his son’s body had been recovered by the Israeli army. Posting on Instagram Kobi Samerano wrote: “Yesterday was Yonati’s Hebrew birthday. On his 23rd birthday, on the very day he was born, our Yonati was rescued in a heroic operation by the brave soldiers of the IDF and the Shin Bet.”

In a statement following the announcement, Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents some of the hostages’ relatives, said: “Our hearts are with the Keidar, Samerano, and Levinson families today. “Alongside the grief and pain, their return provides some comfort to the families who have waited in agony, uncertainty, and doubt for 625 days. “Particularly against the backdrop of current military developments and the significant achievements in Iran, we want to emphasize that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving complete Israeli victory. “There will be no victory until the last hostage returns.”

CNN —

The bodies of three hostages – an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and two civilians, all killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks – have been recovered from Gaza.

In a special operation carried out by the Israel Security Agency (ISA) and the IDF, the bodies of the civilians, Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the ISA and IDF said in a joint statement Sunday.

Ofra Keidar, from the kibbutz Be’eri community, was killed by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023. The 71-year-old’s body was taken to Gaza, where it had been held since. Keidar was a wife and mother of three. Her husband was also killed in Hamas’ attack.

“On that dark Saturday Ofra went, as usual, for a walk in the fields she loved – and never returned,” her kibbutz said in a statement.

“Ofra was one of the women leading Be’eri to be the flourished kibbutz it has become, and set an example for other women while showing strength and leadership skills. She left three children and seven grandchildren.”

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Keidar worked in a dairy farm for 30 years, caring for newborn calves. Later, she moved to a local petting zoo, where she worked for 15 years. “Anyone who visited her home could see her greatest loves, aside from her family – her dogs, especially poodles, and tending to her garden and houseplants,” the forum said.

Samerano, 21, from Tel Aviv, was killed by Hamas militants who took his body after fleeing the Nova music festival.

He was a talented DJ and always surrounded by friends, according to the forum. “Even at his young age, he was an entrepreneur at heart and a savvy businessman who dreamed of developing his career in event production,” the organization said.

Israeli authorities and Samerano’s family have claimed an employee of the United Nations’ main agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, was involved in the abduction of Samerano’s body.

A United Nations investigation last year found that nine UNRWA employees “may have” been involved in the October 7 attack and no longer work at the agency. The investigation was launched after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the attack, which left 1,200 people in Israel dead.

Levinson, a dual German-Israeli national and tank commander, was killed in combat on October 7, the joint ISA-IDF statement said. The 19-year-old’s body was then taken to Gaza.

According to the forum, Levinson, from Givat Avni in the Lower Galilee, was an “outstanding player” on a volleyball team “that serves as a model for Jewish-Arab cooperation.”

“Shay chose to forgo the opportunity to receive active athlete status and instead chose meaningful combat service in the IDF,” the forum said. Levinson was a quiet and exceptional man, it added, as well as ambitious and driven.

Overall, the forum said: “Alongside the grief and pain, the return of their bodies provides some comfort to the families who have waited in agony, uncertainty, and doubt for 625 days.”

It also called for the return of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza to be a priority as Israel continues its conflict with Iran. “Particularly against the backdrop of current military developments and the significant achievements in Iran, we want to emphasize that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving complete Israeli victory,” it said.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of Keidar, Samerano and Levinson and thanked Israeli soldiers for a “successful operation.”

Israel’s sustained military campaign in Gaza continues. Over the past 24 hours, the conflict has killed 51 people in Gaza and injured 104 others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said in its daily update Sunday.

The total death toll in the strip since Israel launched its military offensive on October 7, 2023, has risen to 55,959 dead and 131,242 wounded, it said.

The bodies of Yonatan Samerano, Ofra Keidar and Shay Levinson — pictured left to right — were recovered on Saturday. – Hostages and Missing Families Forum

The bodies of three hostages – an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and two civilians, all killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks – have been recovered from Gaza.

In a special operation carried out by the Israel Security Agency (ISA) and the IDF, the bodies of the civilians, Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson were recovered from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the ISA and IDF said in a joint statement Sunday.

Ofra Keidar, from the kibbutz Be’eri community, was killed by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023. The 71-year-old’s body was taken to Gaza, where it had been held since. Keidar was a wife and mother of three. Her husband was also killed in Hamas’ attack.

“On that dark Saturday Ofra went, as usual, for a walk in the fields she loved – and never returned,” her kibbutz said in a statement.

“Ofra was one of the women leading Be’eri to be the flourished kibbutz it has become, and set an example for other women while showing strength and leadership skills. She left three children and seven grandchildren.”

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Keidar worked in a dairy farm for 30 years, caring for newborn calves. Later, she moved to a local petting zoo, where she worked for 15 years. “Anyone who visited her home could see her greatest loves, aside from her family – her dogs, especially poodles, and tending to her garden and houseplants,” the forum said.

Samerano, 21, from Tel Aviv, was killed by Hamas militants who took his body after fleeing the Nova music festival.

He was a talented DJ and always surrounded by friends, according to the forum. “Even at his young age, he was an entrepreneur at heart and a savvy businessman who dreamed of developing his career in event production,” the organization said.

Israeli authorities and Samerano’s family have claimed an employee of the United Nations’ main agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, was involved in the abduction of Samerano’s body.

A United Nations investigation last year found that nine UNRWA employees “may have” been involved in the October 7 attack and no longer work at the agency. The investigation was launched after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the attack, which left 1,200 people in Israel dead.

Levinson, a dual German-Israeli national and tank commander, was killed in combat on October 7, the joint ISA-IDF statement said. The 19-year-old’s body was then taken to Gaza.

According to the forum, Levinson, from Givat Avni in the Lower Galilee, was an “outstanding player” on a volleyball team “that serves as a model for Jewish-Arab cooperation.”

“Shay chose to forgo the opportunity to receive active athlete status and instead chose meaningful combat service in the IDF,” the forum said. Levinson was a quiet and exceptional man, it added, as well as ambitious and driven.

Overall, the forum said: “Alongside the grief and pain, the return of their bodies provides some comfort to the families who have waited in agony, uncertainty, and doubt for 625 days.”

It also called for the return of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza to be a priority as Israel continues its conflict with Iran. “Particularly against the backdrop of current military developments and the significant achievements in Iran, we want to emphasize that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving complete Israeli victory,” it said.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of Keidar, Samerano and Levinson and thanked Israeli soldiers for a “successful operation.”

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com