Israel has identified the bodies of the last four hostages to be returned in the first phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Shlomo Mantzur and Itzik Elgarat were kidnapped from their kibbutz homes on October 7th. Their coffins were transferred home, 510 days after they were kidnapped. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will now be released as per the deal.
Itzhak Elgarat, 70, from Kibbutz Nir Oz was a dual Danish-Israeli citizen who was reportedly shot in the hand on Oct. 7. His family said they were told after the ceasefire began that he was likely dead.
Tsahi Idan, 50, who was seen being held with his crying family in a widely circulated video of the October 7th atrocities. He was abducted in front of his wife and children at their home on Kibbutz Nahal Oz after witnessing his daughter shot to death. The horrific scenes were broadcast live by Hamas.
Shlomo Mantzur, 86, was a resident of Kibbutz Kissufim, which he helped establish at age 16 after immigrating to Israel from Iraq in 1951. He survived the Farhud, a 1941 antisemitic pogrom in Baghdad. He was the oldest hostage remaining in Gaza. Israel announced in February 2025 that he had been killed on October 7th.
Ohad Yahalomi, 50, a French-Israeli citizen and father of three, was abducted from his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron posted on Twitter/X: “All my heart is with the family and loved ones of our compatriot Ohad Yahalomi. In these suspended hours of pain and anguish, the Nation stands by their side.”
A statement from the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Following the completion of the identification process by the IDF, the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, IDF representatives have, overnight, informed the Yahalomi, Idan, Mantzur and Elgarat families that their loved ones – Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Shlomo Mantzur and Itzik Elgarat, of blessed memory – were murdered and have been returned for burial in Israel.”
“Pursuant to the intelligence and all of the information at our disposal, Ohad Yahalomi, Tsahi Idan and Itzik Elgarat were murdered while held hostage in Gaza. Shlomo Mantzur was murdered in the 7 October 2023 massacre and his body had been held in the Gaza Strip. We share in the families’ sorrow at this difficult time.”
In a statement, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it “bows its head upon receiving the devastating news of the murder of Itzhak Elgarat, Tsachi Idan, Shlomo Mantzur and Ohad Yahalomi of blessed memory. Tsachi, Itzhak, and Ohad were kidnapped alive from their homes in Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Kibbutz Nir Oz and endured a prolonged period in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
“They should have returned alive; they could have been saved and brought back through an agreement. Shlomo was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Kissufim and murdered on October 7. We share in the heavy grief of the Idan, Elgarat, Mantzur and Yahalomi families.”
The Forum added that “59 hostages remain in captivity with no release date in sight. We urge all decision makers to ensure the return of the last hostage by the 50th day of the agreement. The hostages have no time left – they must return home to be reunited with their families or brought to a dignified burial. Please respect the privacy of their families and refrain from contacting them directly during these sensitive days.”
The release comes after the funeral of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas on Wednesday morning in Israel.
The handover of Ohad, Tsachi, Shlomo and Itzik Elgarat formally ends the first stage of the ceasefire deal with Hamas agreed on in January. Thirty three Israeli hostages have now been returned to Israel, 25 alive and eight murdered, as well as five Thai citizens.
Fifty-nine hostages remain captive in Gaza, around half of whom are thought to be dead. There have been signs of life from 17 of the remaining hostages.
