An Israeli man held hostage in Gaza since the Hamas raid on October 7 has been certified dead, according to the government and the kibbutz where he lived early Friday.
Dror Or, 49, is the latest captive declared deceased by Israel after being abducted during the Hamas operation that sparked conflict with Israel.
The Beeri kibbutz said that Or was killed and his body has been detained in Gaza since October 7. It was one of the hardest affected communities during Hamas’ bombardment on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip.
His wife Yonat was slain in the initial attack, and two of his three children, Noam and Alma, aged 17 and 13, were kidnapped and then released in November as part of an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire and hostage-for-prisoner swap.
Israel says that 129 prisoners taken by militants during their operation are still in Gaza. The military said 35 of them, including Or, have died.
“We are heartbroken to share that Dror Or, who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, had been confirmed as murdered and his body is being held in Gaza,” a spokesperson for the Israeli government told X.
The two youngsters, together with their brother Yahli, are now orphans, the statement continued.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a campaign group, has claimed it will support Or’s family.
The forum and the Israeli government did not disclose how they knew about Or’s death.
“Only by securing the release of all hostages, the living for rehabilitation, the deceased for burial can our people’s revival and future be ensured,” the group claimed in a statement.
“Israeli government must exhaust every effort to bring Dror and… the other murdered hostages back for honourable burials in Israel.”
Or’s murder was reported as mediators Qatar, the US, and Egypt awaited Hamas’ reaction to a new Israeli request for a cease-fire and captive release.
During a week-long truce in late November, 105 hostages were released, including 80 Israelis and individuals from other countries, in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians detained by Israel.
The conflict began on October 7 with Hamas’ attack on Israel, which killed 1,170 people, the majority of whom were civilians, according to an AFP assessment of Israeli government estimates.
According to the health ministry of Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 34,596 individuals, the majority of whom are women and children.