Israel has officially confirmed the identification of the 10th deceased hostage by Hamas to be returned. The body has been recognized as Eliyahu Margalit, aged 76, who was taken during an attack in Israel on October 7. Eliyahu, also known as Churchill to his loved ones, was working at horse stables in Kibbutz Nir Oz before being abducted by Hamas and transferred to Gaza.
According to the Israeli prime minister’s office, forensic testing has confirmed the remains to be those of Margalit, and his family has been notified. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel described Eliyahu as a dedicated worker at a cattle branch and horse stables in Nir Oz for many years.
Eliyahu’s death was reported in December 2023, one month after his daughter Nili, who was also taken hostage by Hamas, was released. The exchange of hostages is a significant aspect of the fragile peace agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt the devastating bombings in Gaza. Hamas delivered the last 20 living hostages to the Red Cross, who then transferred them to Israel on Monday.
As part of the peace deal, Israel received the bodies of 28 hostages. Four of these remains were returned on Monday, with more to follow as they are discovered amidst the rubble in Gaza resulting from Israeli airstrikes since October 7. Eliyahu’s remains are among the 10th to be returned after a temporary halt in violence on Mondays. While 18 other hostages’ remains are still pending, efforts are underway to locate them with the deployment of bulldozers.
Israel has expressed intentions to reduce aid deliveries to Gaza as Hamas has not fully complied with returning the remains as agreed upon. Recent controversy arose when Israel stated that one of the bodies handed over by Hamas did not belong to any of the hostages, as confirmed by forensic examinations.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has urged Hamas to meet the ceasefire deal requirements concerning the return of hostages’ bodies, outlined by former US President Donald Trump. Hamas, in turn, blamed Israel for impeding the search for bodies under the rubble. As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.