IDF: Hostage Elad Katzir was likely murdered in January, body was buried in Gaza

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

The IDF estimates that Elad Katzir was murdered by his captors in mid-January, not long after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad published a second video showing him in captivity.

Katzir was buried in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza, at a site used by terror operatives.

Information on the grave was obtained around a week ago, with final confirmation on the location being received last night.

Within a few hours, troops of the Maglan and Egoz commando units reached the site, exhumed the body, and brought it back to Israel for identification.

There were no injuries amid the operation, with no fighting taking place at the grave site itself, only in the surrounding area.

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