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With the return and positive identification of Ohad Yahalomi, Tsahi Idan, Shlomo Mantzur and Itzik Elgarat, Israel has now received all 33 of the hostages slated for the first phase of the ceasefire – 25 of them alive, 8 dead.
By World Israel News Staff
Israeli forensics teams on Thursday confirmed the identities of four slain hostages returned to Israel from the Gaza Strip overnight, bringing the total number of captives released during the six-week ceasefire to 33.
On Thursday morning, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that forensics examiners verified that the four bodies returned by Hamas via the Red Cross overnight belong to Ohad Yahalomi, Tsahi Idan, Shlomo Mantzur and Itzik Elgarat.
“Following the completion of the identification process by the IDF, the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, IDF representatives have, overnight, informed the Yahalomi, Idan, Mantzur and Elgarat families that their loved ones – Ohad Yahalomi, Tsahi Idan, Shlomo Mantzur and Itzik Elgarat, of blessed memory – were murdered and have been returned for burial in Israel,” the PMO said.
“Pursuant to the intelligence and all of the information at our disposal, Ohad Yahalomi, Tsahi Idan and Itzik Elgarat were murdered while held hostage in Gaza. Shlomo Mantzur was murdered in the 7 October 2023 massacre and his body had been held in the Gaza Strip.”
The overnight transfer marks the last hostage return scheduled for the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, tentatively slated to end this coming Sunday.
Of the 33 hostages returned to Israel over the past six weeks, 25 are alive, with 8 more returned dead – including some murdered on October 7th, and others killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
The victims returned overnight include 49-year-old Kibbutz Nahal Oz resident Tsachi Idan, whose daughter, Maayan, was murdered during the invasion of October 7th; 50-year-old Ohad Yahalomi of Kibbutz Nir Oz; fellow Kibbutz Nir Oz resident Itzik Elgarat, who was 68 at the time of his abduction; and Shlomo Mantzur, 85.
“Our hearts ache upon receiving the bitter news of the identification of Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, and Shlomo Mantzur, whose bodies were returned overnight from captivity at the hands of Hamas terrorists,” said President Isaac Herzog Thursday morning, eulogizing the slain hostages.
“Ohad Yahalomi was a man of the land and a devoted family man, a lover of Israel who dedicated himself to preserving its landscapes through his work with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.”
“Itzik Elgarat was a devoted father of two and a beloved uncle to his nieces and nephews. He embraced life to the fullest and was especially cherished by the members of Kibbutz Nir Oz, with whom he loved playing backgammon.”
Tsachi Idan, who was kidnapped to Gaza on October 7, was a loving husband to his courageous wife Gali, and a devoted father to Sharon, Yael, Shachar, and Maayan —a wonderful young girl who was brutally murdered in their home before her family’s eyes by terrorists who barbarically broadcasted the horrific moments of her murder.”
“Shlomo Mantzur came from a proud Zionist family that immigrated from Iraq. He survived the Farhud Pogrom against the Jews of Baghdad, and came to Israel in his youth.”
English (US) ·