On Friday evening, Hamas handed over to the Red Cross the body of another deceased Israeli hostage. The Israeli military confirmed that the remains belonged to the hostage Eliahu Margalit.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday morning that the returned hostage was 75-year-old Eliahu Margalit, who was killed and taken to Gaza during the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.
Israel announced Margalit's death in December 2023, a month after his daughter Nili, who was also a hostage, was released by Hamas during a temporary truce.
In its statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Margalit as a "cowboy at heart" who for many years managed the cattle yard and stables at Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Margalit, known to his family and friends as Churchill, became the tenth hostage whose remains were returned from Gaza. The bodies of 18 other people have still not been repatriated.
