Israel has thus far recognized one of many two our bodies returned over the weekend by Hamas as a father of three who was killed by the Palestinian Islamist militia whereas defending his household and whose physique was then taken to Gaza.
“Ronen Tommy Engel was killed by Hamas terrorists on October seventh, 2023, when he went out to defend his household from terrorists, and his physique was taken into the Gaza Strip,” the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) wrote on its Telegram channel on Sunday.
The Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board mentioned Engel, 54, was a photographer.
He was from the kibbutz Nir Oz close to the Israeli border with Gaza. Hamas kidnapped his spouse and two daughters in the course of the assault, which devastated the kibbutz, and took them to Gaza. They had been launched as a part of a hostage settlement in November 2023.
Engel was pronounced useless on December 1, 2023, however Hamas held his physique till the latest settlement that resulted in a ceasefire, a return of the Israeli hostages and the discharge of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
A second physique launched with Engel’s has been recognized, based on Israeli media experiences, however not but been named. That leaves 16 of the unique 28 our bodies that Hamas agreed to handover within the present ceasefire settlement nonetheless in Gaza
Hamas claims that it’s troublesome to search out the our bodies as a result of they’re buried underneath the rubble of bombed buildings and tunnels which had been destroyed in the course of the two-year conflict in Gaza.
The group launched the final 20 residing hostages on Monday.
