From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 24, 2026
Zehava Shaul, who led decade-long struggle to recover body of her son held by Hamas, dies at 71
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Zehava Shaul, mother of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, who was killed and captured by Hamas in 2014 and whose body was held captive by the terror group for more than a decade, has died at the age of 71.
President Isaac Herzog pays tribute to her, calling her “a brave, determined and inspiring mother, who dedicated more than a decade to an uncompromising struggle to return her son” for burial in Israel.
“Zehava’s image will be etched in the heart of the nation as a mother who never gave up on her son for a moment, and as a symbol of perseverance and hope even in the most difficult moments. May her memory be blessed,” Herzog wrote.
On July 20, 2014, amid the 2014 Gaza war — known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge — troops of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion entered Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood in an M-113 armored personnel carrier. The APC got stuck in one of the neighborhood’s narrow streets, and during attempts to extract it, the carrier came under attack by Hamas operatives launching anti-tank missiles.
Seven soldiers were killed in the incident, including Shaul, whose body was dragged away from the scene by Hamas operatives. His body was recovered by the IDF in January 2025 amidst the Gaza war.
Her husband Herzl Shaul died in 2016 and did not live to see the return of his son’s remains.
Zehava Shaul will be buried on Sunday in Poria Ilit.
The Times of Israel Community.