News of Israeli hostages’ fate begins to surface
The oldest hostage being held in Gaza has died, residents of his kibbutz said, as Hamas claimed it had offered to return the body of the youngest.
The oldest hostage being held in Gaza has died, residents of his kibbutz said, as Hamas claimed it had offered to return the body of the youngest.
The Nir Oz kibbutz released a statement on Saturday mourning the death of Arye Zalmanovich, 86, one of its founders in 1955. He had managed to send a text to one of his sons saying that it was under attack before he was abducted on October 7.
The statement hailed him as “a man of the earth, engaged in agriculture and farming”, but also as “a man of books, who had extensive knowledge in the fields of history and the land of Israel”.
The kibbutz did not say how his death was verified, but said other members had also been murdered in captivity. It named them as Maya Goren, 56, a teacher at the kibbutz kindergarten, and Ronen Engel, 54, a photographer. The deaths were confirmed by the Israel Defence Forces.
Ms Goren’s husband, Avner, 56, was killed on the day of the attack. One of their sons paid tribute to her, adding: “I cannot stop thinking about you.”
The fate of the remaining hostages was central to the collapse of the ceasefire on Friday, according to reports emerging from the negotiators in Qatar.
Israel had demanded at least 10 women or children be freed every day in return for the ceasefire. On Friday Hamas presented a list of only seven names, along with an offer to return the bodies of three hostages, which Israel rejected.
A later Hamas statement identified the three bodies being offered as those of Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 10 months. Kfir was the youngest hostage taken on October 7, and his fate had been the subject of emotional appeals.
On Thursday night Hamas released a video of the reaction of the boys’ captive father, Yarden Bibas, to being informed of his family’s death, allegedly in an Israeli strike. Israel denounced the video as a form of “psychological terror”.
The Times
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