The IDF confirms: Elad Katzir was murdered in captivity and his body was brought back to Israel

The IDF announced that Elad Katzir (47) of Nir Oz, who was abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7, was murdered in captivity and his body was recovered tonight from Khan Yunis in a special operation. The operation took place following information revealed during investigations of Islamic Jihad terrorists captured in Shifa Hospital and Khan Yunis According to IDF estimates, Katzir was murdered by his captors in mid-January.

Katzir’s body was located in south Khan Yunis, near the refugee camp through intelligence information from the Amman and the Shin Bet, and the identification of the Agoz unit. She was found in the refugee camp, buried in the ground, and was rescued in an operation that took place all night. After an identification procedure carried out tonight by medical officials at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, representatives of the IDF and Shin Bet informed the family of the late Katzir about the recovery of his body.

Katzir was recorded twice in the captivity of the Islamic Jihad. His videos were published in December and January. Since then his family did not know what happened to him. His sister, Carmit Pelati Katzir, wrote on Facebook today: “Elad was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz alive and intact and photographed twice while in captivity. He could have been saved if a deal had happened in time. Our leadership is cowardly and motivated by political considerations, so it didn’t happen.”

Carmit Pelati-Katzir, sister of the abductee Elad Katzir (photo: headquarters of the families of the kidnapped and missing)

“We received bad news. Elad was brought to Israel tonight, after he was murdered in captivity. The IDF spokesman will tell you about the brave rescue operation, which was indeed such. In the horrible reality they have created for us, this is also a comfort. Elad will have a grave in Nir Oz. We will not remain in uncertainty.”

At Kibbutz Nir Oz they paid tribute to the harvest: “Elad was murdered in captivity in Gaza after suffering physical and mental torture for months. According to the information received from the IDF, Elad was murdered in captivity in January and his body was returned to Israel today during a military operation.

“Elad was a man of laughter, hugs and joy, fields and land. Especially loved by the children of the kibbutz, his friends and residents. May his memory be blessed.”

Elad and Carmit Katzir (photo: from Facebook)

Katzir’s mother, Hana, was also kidnapped on October 7 by the Islamic Jihad and released on November 24 as part of the plan to return the kidnapped, and his father, the late Avraham, was murdered in the kibbutz.

The headquarters of the families of the abductees said: “This is a painful, immediate and difficult reminder – that the abductees have run out of time, a long time ago. The return of Elad’s body is a reminder that the abductees and their families have no time for negotiations, no time for power struggles, no time for global diplomacy. We call on the Prime Minister and the War Cabinet – the State of Israel will not be able to recover if We will bury all 133 abductees who were left behind. We don’t have a single day to waste.”

Gadi Yarkoni, Head of the Eshkol Regional Council: Elad was a man of the land in every fiber of his soul with a big heart who was the irrigation coordinator for the kibbutz’s magnificent field crops branch. I share in the deep sorrow of his mother Hana, his sisters Carmit and Avital and the community of Nir Oz.

“Every day that the abductees are still in captivity is a danger to their lives and we will not be able to rehabilitate as long as they are kept there after being abandoned. I call on the Israeli government to come to its senses and make every effort to bring about the release of all the abductees and the abductees home, the living and the murdered. We call for a deal, now.

“There will be no civil resilience and no real reconstruction and revival for the Gaza Strip and for all of Israel if they do not return after being abandoned. Even if there is world peace here – we cannot live in peace without them. Their return is the highest and most important task of all.”

IDF spokesperson: “The national mission before our eyes is to return all the abductees home. The IDF and the Shin Bet are working closely and in full coordination with the relevant national and security bodies in order to fulfill this mission, and will not let up until it is completed.”