‘Bitter news’: Israel confirms identities of 4 bodies of hostages returned from Gaza
Remains ID’d of soccer-loving Itzik Elgarat, ‘passionate sportsman’ Ohad Yahalomi, ‘cheerful polymath’ Shlomo Mantzur, and ‘beloved’ Tsahi Idan; Herzog: ‘Israeli hearts ache’
Four bodies released overnight by Hamas from the Gaza Strip were confirmed Thursday by Israeli authorities to be of hostages Itzik Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi, Shlomo Mantzur, and Tsahi Idan.
The IDF informed the families of Yahalomi, Idan, Mantzur and Elgarat that their loved ones had been murdered, and that their remains were returned to Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement Thursday morning.
Yahalomi, Idan, and Elgarat were murdered while in captivity in Gaza, the PMO said, while Mantzur was killed on October 7, 2023, when his body was kidnapped and held in Gaza.
The forensic identification process was carried out by the Health Ministry’s National Forensic Medicine Center, along with the police, at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.
Though the bodies arrived back in Israel late at night, many people went out to line roads along the route as a mark of respect that also has been shown for other deceased hostages upon their return.
The return of the four bodies marks the final handover of the first stage of the ceasefire deal reached in January, which saw 33 Israeli hostages returned to Israel, 25 of whom were alive and eight who were killed, as well as five Thai citizens.
President Isaac Herzog said that the hearts of Israelis ache “upon receiving the bitter news of the identification of Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlomo Mantzur.”
He wrote that there is “some solace” in knowing they will be buried with dignity in Israel.
The return of the slain hostages “underscores our moral obligation to do everything in our power to bring back all the hostages,” Herzog said. “They are all humanitarian cases, and they must all be returned.”
Ohad Yahalomi
In a statement, Kibbutz Nir Oz said that “Ohad, who was 50 at the time of his death, was a devoted and loving family man. He was a passionate sportsman and an avid traveler, intimately familiar with every trail and path in the desert he so dearly loved.”
Yahalomi was kidnapped at age 49, and turned 50 in April 2024. He was killed at some point in the past 10 months.
“For years, he worked at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, dedicating his life to the preservation of nature. Out of his deep love for the desert, he co-authored a scorpion field guide with partners and was involved in educational initiatives within the Bedouin community.”
Ohad, a dual French-Israeli citizen, is survived by his wife and three young children.
“We will always remember him as a man of values, filled with compassion, a lover of people and the land. May his memory be a blessing,” the kibbutz said.
Ohad’s family said in their own statement that they “are hurting and still struggling to believe.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X responding to confirmation of Yahalomi’s death that “the barbaric acts of Hamas must end.”
“I share the immense pain of his family and loved ones,” he wrote. “France lost 50 of its children in the infamy of October 7.”
As terrorists poured into the kibbutz on the morning of the attack, Ohad decided to sit outside the family’s sealed room door with a handgun, as the door handle of the room was not locking properly.
After he was shot, the gunmen hurried Ohad’s wife, Batsheva Yahalomi, and their three children out of the house and onto mopeds. At some point, Batsheva and her two daughters were able to run away, while Ohad and their 12-year-old son, Eitan, were taken hostage. Eitan was released on November 27 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal.
Itzik Elgarat
Kibbutz Nir Oz expressed “deep pain and sorrow” at the confirmation of the death of Elgarat on Thursday.
It said Elgarat, who was abducted at 68, “came to Nir Oz following his brother and became a beloved figure in the community. For years, he served the kibbutz with dedication as a groundskeeper and was responsible for plumbing, gas, and steam maintenance.
“He was an integral part of the social fabric, loved spending time at the local pub, hosting friends, and connecting different generations. His great love for soccer and backgammon was well known, and he shone in local games, always with a smile and a warm spirit.”
He is survived by two children, a brother, and two sisters.
“We will remember him for his laughter, his big heart, and his willingness to always be there for anyone in need,” the kibbutz said.
Itzik was shot and injured inside the safe room of his home and called his brother Danny to ask for help, but the conversation was cut off.
Six months later, the family was told that Itzik was still alive, but injured. A hostage released in November 2023 told the family that Elgarat had been shot in the hand and given medical treatment for the injury, the Kan public broadcaster reported.
Last week, Itzik’s brother Danny told the Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee that his brother had died of starvation.
Tsahi Idan
Tsahi Idan, 49 at the time of his kidnapping, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, after his oldest daughter, Maayan, 18, was shot and killed through the safe room door.
The terrorists held Tsahi, his wife, Gali, and their two other children hostage in the house for some time before grabbing Tsahi and dragging him to Gaza.
The attack on the family’s home was filmed by the terrorists using Gali’s phone and live-streamed by them to her Facebook account, as the weeping children were seen asking about their dead sister and whether they too would be killed. As the family sat together on the floor trying to comfort each other, Tsahi, his hands covered in blood from Maayan, was also seen asking if he could attend to his daughter, a request the terrorists refused.
Gali and the two children survived, as did a third who was not at home at the time of the attack.
Tsahi Idan’s family was just notified that his body is expected to be returned home tonight. They held on to hope for 509 days.
Do not shield your eyes from this last image of Tsahi. Moments before, his 18-year-old daughter, Maayan was shot by terrorists and died in his arms.… pic.twitter.com/6ZKaXCDAUe
— Yael Bar tur ????️ (@yaelbt) February 26, 2025
“The unbearable journey of our family to bring back our beloved and precious Tsahi from the hell of Gaza has come to an end,” the family said in a statement.
“Tsahi was abducted while on his feet, and we received several signs of life from him,” it said. “As of the November 2023 deal, he was still alive and was expected to be released.”
“Tsahi will be laid to rest alongside his beloved daughter, Maayan, who was murdered on October 7 while trying to help her father protect the shelter door.”
Shlomo Mantzur
Israeli authorities confirmed that Shlomo Mantzur’s body had been identified, after they had declared his death earlier this month.
Shlomo, 85, was murdered during his abduction from Kibbutz Kissufim on October 7, 2023.
“Shlomo is brought home after 510 days,” said the Hostages Families Forum in a statement, describing him as an “was an energetic and cheerful man dedicated to giving, a polymath with a strong work ethic.”
Born in Baghdad in 1938, he survived the Farhud pogrom in Iraq and immigrated to Israel in 1951 at age 13, becoming one of the founders of Kibbutz Kissufim, where he worked for years in the chicken coop, as well as at an eyewear factory, and learned carpentry as a hobby.
He is survived by his wife, Mazal, five children, 12 grandchildren, and five siblings.
Mazal said that her husband was abducted in his pajamas after terrorists opened fire on the door of the safe room of their home at the kibbutz. In a May 2024 Channel 12 television interview, she said she last saw him being taken away, handcuffed, by several terrorists. Channel 12 reported that he was driven away in his own car. Mazal managed to flee to a neighbor’s home.
Earlier this month, Israeli authorities told the family that they had assessed he was killed later that day. His death was declared by a panel of health experts and members of the rabbinate, following intelligence the IDF said it obtained in recent months.
The return of the four bodies, the last of the multi-phased ceasefire’s initial stage, which saw the return to Israel of 33 hostages, 25 of them living, began late Wednesday night, when their bodies were first handed over to the Red Cross, and then later to Israel.
