IDF confirms death of hostage Chaim Peri, last seen in Hamas video in December
Grandfather was witnessed to be ‘alive and well’ by released captive, Nir Oz neighbor Yocheved Lifshitz, in late October
On June 3, 2024, after obtaining new intelligence, the Israeli military confirmed the death of Israeli hostage Chaim Peri, 79, who was killed in Hamas captivity. Below are the initial reports of his capture and its aftermath:
Chaim Peri, 79, a father of five and grandfather of 13, film lecturer and activist, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists from his Kibbutz Nir Oz home on October 7, during an assault on the community, when 73 members of the kibbutz were taken hostage.
Peri’s wife, Osnat, survived the assault.
The family has said that Peri wasn’t yet confirmed as a hostage until receiving witness testimony from Yocheved Lifshitz, a neighbor who was freed from Hamas captivity, who told the family that she saw him alive and well.
Peri takes life-saving heart medications, said his son Lior Peri.
While Peri and his wife were battling for their lives on one side of the kibbutz, another family member, Danny Darlington, 34, a photographer, was murdered along with his German friend, Carolin Bohl, 22.
Darlington was a British citizen living in Berlin. He and Bohl had come to Israel for a vacation.
