The body of Elad Katzir, 47, who was abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7 and later murdered in captivity, was recovered overnight by the IDF in the city of Khan Younis in the territory's south, the army announced on Saturday.
The military estimates that he was murdered by his captors in mid-January and his remains were found buried in Khan Younis by Commando Brigade forces under the guidance of the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence.
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Elad Katzir was featured alive in a Palestinian Islamic Jihad propaganda clip on January 8
"Following an identification procedure carried out overnight by medical officials at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, IDF and Shin Bet representatives informed Elad Katzir's family that his body had been recovered," read a joint statement with Shin Bet.
Katzir's sister Karmit Palti-Katzir announced his death and the recovery of his body shortly before the IDF’s statement, writing, “We received devastating news. Elad was brought back to Israel overnight, after he was murdered in captivity. In this terrible reality, this also gives us some solace. Elad will have a grave in Nir Oz. We won’t have to live with the uncertainty.”
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Hanna Katzir, who was taken hostage on October 7 and released since, and her son Elad
Katzir was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a smaller Islamist faction allied with Hamas, alongside his elderly mother Hanna, who was released on November 24 as part of a temporary cease-fire. After her release, she was hospitalized in severe condition due to the harsh conditions and neglect she experienced in captivity. Both were featured alive in PIJ propaganda videos. His father Avraham was killed in the attack on the kibbutz.
According to Israeli estimates, after the operation to recover Katzir's body, there are currently 133 captives held in the Gaza Strip, with at least 34 of them deceased.