According to forensic findings, slain hostages Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, and Itzhak Elgarat were murdered in Hamas captivity, and Shlomo Mantzur was killed on October 7, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Thursday morning.
Hamas released the remains of the four hostages on Wednesday night, and the confirmation of their identities was announced on Thursday morning.
Who were the four hostages?
Shlomo Mantzur was confirmed to be one of the slain hostages returned to Israel overnight Wednesday, Kibbutz Kissufim announced on Thursday.
Hamas terrorists murdered Shlomo Mantzur on October 7, 2023, and have been holding his body since then, Kibbutz Kissufim announced earlier this month.
Mantzur, who was 85 at his death, “was much more than a community member to us – he was a father, a grandfather, a true friend, and a beating heart of Kissufim. This is one of the hardest days in the history of our kibbutz,” Kibuttz Kissufim said.
Itzhak Elgarat, aged 69, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas terrorists on October 7. He called his younger brother at approximately 11:30 a.m. on October 7, telling him that his hand had been badly injured as he rushed to close the door to the safe room.
“I could hear that he was very stressed, on the verge of tears,” Dany previously told The Jerusalem Post. “He told me that his hand was badly hurt, that it was crushed when he tried to close the door to his safe room.”
“He didn’t realize what situation he was in until then,” he said.
Terrorists abducted French-Israeli national Ohad from Kibbutz Nir Oz after shooting him in the leg – the then-49-year-old had been attempting to fight off the invading gunmen entering his home. Now 50, Yahalomi is expected to be returned as part of the first phase of a Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement.
On October 7, 2023, after learning of the approaching terrorists, Ohad sealed his wife, Batsheva, and their three children in their safe room. The room’s door handle had broken, preventing the family from safely locking themselves inside – which led Ohad to sit in front of the door, guarding his family with only a handgun to protect them.
Ohad’s efforts were unable to prevent the terrorists from abducting him and his loved ones – although his wife and two daughters were able to escape before entering Gaza.
Tsachi was on the list of 33 hostages to be released in the first stage of a hostage-ceasefire deal. He was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz as his 18-year-old daughter, Mayaan, was murdered on October 7.
“We are still waiting for the much-needed certainty, which we can only receive after his arrival in Israel and after all necessary examinations are conducted by the authorized state authorities,” his family said in a statement on Wednesday.
After the announcements, the Hostages Families Forum said, “We received with profound sorrow the news about the identification of Shlomo Mantzur, Tsachi Idan, Itzhak Elgarat, and Ohad Yahalomi of blessed memory, who have been laid to eternal rest in Israel.
Tsachi, Itzhak, and Ohad were kidnapped alive from their homes in Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Kibbutz Nir Oz and endured a prolonged period in Hamas captivity in Gaza. They should have returned alive; they could have been saved and brought back through an agreement.
Shlomo was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Kissufim and murdered on October 7.
We share in the heavy grief of the Idan, Elgarat, Mantzur, and Yahalomi families.
59 hostages remain in captivity with no release date in sight. We urge all decision-makers to ensure the return of the last hostage by the 50th day of the agreement. The hostages have no time left – they must return home to be reunited with their families or brought to a dignified burial.”
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