IDF confirms deaths of hostages Eliyahu Margalit, Mia Goren, Ronen Engel and Aryeh Zalmanovich
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari confirms that the military has declared the deaths of several hostages who were being held in the Gaza Strip.
“We are continuing to invest many intelligence and operational efforts, to bring information on the conditions of the hostages,” Hagari says.
“In the last few days, the IDF and police notified the families of Eliyahu Margalit, Mia Goren, Ronen Engel and Aryeh Zalmanovich of their deaths,” he says.
“This comes after a team of Health Ministry experts, the [Abu Kabir Forensic Institute], the chief rabbi and Religious Affairs Ministry declared their deaths based on findings that were collected and intelligence,” Hagari says.