Israeli army says body of hostage recovered from Gaza: Report

Gaza hostage Elad Katzir's sister announced on Saturday that he was murdered in Hamas captivity over the past few days. In a social media post, hostage Elad Katzir's sister announced that he was killed in captivity within the Gaza Strip and his body has been since returned back to Israel.

The Israeli army said on Saturday that it has found the corpse of a captive taken by Palestinian terrorists during their October 7 raid on villages in southern Israel. "Elad Katzir's body was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to Israeli territory. Intelligence indicates that he was murdered while in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization," the army stated in a statement.

According to Times of Israel report, Elad Katzir's sister, Carmit Palty Katzir, was abducted on October 7 by Hamas militants. She said her family has been informed that her brother was killed while in captivity. She claimed in a Facebook post that he was buried on Kibbutz Nir Oz after his body was returned to Israel during a daring raid from the Gaza Strip.

“Elad was brought to Israel last night, after being murdered captive,” she wrote, adding that the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson will announce the “brave rescue operation.”

Reports further suggest that Katzir’s mother, Hanna Katzir, was also kidnapped from her home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, and released on November 24 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. His father Rami Katzir was murdered during the massacre.