6-4-2024 (GAZA) Israel’s army announced the recovery of the body of a hostage who was abducted by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack on southern Israeli communities.
Elad Katzir, 47 at the time of the attack, was abducted from the Nir Oz kibbutz community along with his mother, Hanna. While Hanna was released on November 24 during a one-week truce in the Gaza war, Katzir’s fate remained uncertain until now. Tragically, Katzir’s father, Avraham, was killed during the same attack at the kibbutz, as confirmed by the army.
“The body of the abductee Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to Israeli territory,” stated the army in a press release.
Although the recovery of Katzir’s body brings closure to some, his sister, Carmit Palty Katzir, expressed anguish and laid blame on Israeli authorities for her brother’s death. She asserted that had the authorities agreed to a new truce deal, her brother might have returned alive.
“Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political consideration, which is why this deal has not happened yet,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “Prime minister, war Cabinet, and coalition members: Look at yourself in the mirror and say if your hands didn’t spill blood.”
Katzir’s tragic fate adds to the mounting pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government regarding its handling of the war. Negotiators are expected to convene in Cairo over the weekend in a renewed effort to secure a ceasefire-hostage deal, as the conflict in Gaza approaches the six-month mark on Sunday.
The Gaza war, which began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack from Hamas militants, resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. In retaliation, Israel launched relentless bombardments on Gaza by air, land, and sea, resulting in the deaths of at least 33,137 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
