IDF says it has discovered remains in Israel of Dolev Yehud, initially thought to be hostage in Gaza

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

Dolev Yehud (Courtesy)
Dolev Yehud (Courtesy)

Dolev Yehud, 35, initially thought to have been taken hostage to the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists on October 7, has been declared dead after his body was identified in Israel, the military says.

Yehud, from Kibbutz Nir Oz on the Gaza border, was a volunteer medic with Magen David Adom and United Hatzala. On the morning of October 7 he left his house to aid others amid the Hamas onslaught, before being killed.

Initially, Yehud was believed by the IDF to have been abducted. Although amid the war there were no indications from Gaza of him being there, unlike other hostages, leading authorities to reevaluate unidentified remains found in the kibbutz from the onslaught.

Some victims of the Hamas massacres had their bodies burned or otherwise mutilated beyond recognition, making identification difficult.

New scientific identification tests, paired with information on where the remains were found, confirmed that a previously unidentified body belonged to Yehud.

The IDF says that Dolev’s family was notified after the body was identified.

Dolev was married with four children; his wife, Sigal, gave birth to their fourth child while he was thought to have been held captive. His sister, Arbel Yehud, 28, is still being held by the terror group in Gaza.

Arbel was taken hostage with her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, from their Kibbutz Nir Oz home.

The latest development lowers the number of hostages taken on October 7 from the previous figure of 252 to 251.

 

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