‘If this deal breaks, we’ll be like Hadar Goldin’: Brother of slain hostage Dror Or awaits closure

Elad Or, the brother of Dror Or — who was murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 and his body taken hostage — says he is fearful but still hopeful that his brother’s remains will be returned to Israel soon.

Speaking to The Times of Israel following a meeting with Gal Hirsch, the government’s point man on the hostages, Or says that “these are very complicated days.”

Hamas returned the remains of three more hostages last night, leaving Dror one of eight still being held in the Strip. Dror’s wife, Yonat Or, was also murdered on October 7, and their two children, Noam and Alma, and a nephew, Liam, were all taken hostage and released in November 2023.

Or says his family has been told by the IDF that recovering his brother’s body in Gaza will require more complex digging and maneuvering.

The fear of his brother’s body being the last of the hostage bodies to be brought back feels impossible, says Or.

“Some members of the government call for a return to the war and all the hairs on my body stand up when I hear that,” says Or. “So our call is not to go back to fight in Gaza, but to fulfill the ceasefire. We’re fearful about the ceasefire not being fulfilled, but we also see that things are progressing.”

“If this deal breaks, then we’ll be like Hadar Goldin,” adds Or, referring to the soldier who was killed and taken captive in 2014, his body held in Gaza for the last 11 years.

Or says that the return of every one of the living hostages was worth the struggle until now.

“Each one of them is a miracle, like the return of my nephews and niece from captivity,” says Or.

He says that Noam and Alma are experiencing a mix of tremendous sadness and pain, while still seeking to try and live their lives normally.

“For them, the ability to bury their father next to their mother in Be’eri, where they grew up, is very meaningful,” says Or. “It will be another symbol that at least that part of the story is closed.”