Hamas returns physique of Kibbutz Nir Ouncess Eliyahu Margalit; 18 slain hostages nonetheless held

[ad_1] Army representatives on Saturday morning notified the household of hostage Eliyahu Margalit that his physique had been returned to Israel by Hamas the night time prior and recognized by forensic specialists.

Identified by his nickname “Churchill,” Margalit, 75, was murdered by Hamas terrorists on the stables in Kibbutz Nir Ounceson October 7, 2023, and his physique was kidnapped. He had been liable for the cattle on the kibbutz for a few years. His daughter, Nili Margalit, 40, was additionally kidnapped on October 7, and was launched from Hamas captivity on November 30.

The casket with Margalit’s stays was collected by the Pink Cross from Hamas in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Friday night time, after which transferred to Israel Protection Forces troops who introduced it out of the Gaza Strip.

The casket was inspected by the military, then draped in an Israeli flag and honored in a quick ceremony led by a army rabbi.

Police escorted the casket to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv the place forensic specialists labored to determine the stays and decide the reason for loss of life. A number of hours later, the physique was recognized as belonging to Margalit, and IDF representatives notified his household.

Get The Instances of Israel's Every day Version by e-mail and by no means miss our high tales

By signing up, you comply with the terms “Our beloved Eli has returned residence, 742 days after he was murdered and kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. We thank the folks of Israel and the Hostage Households Discussion board for his or her help within the lengthy wrestle for his return, and promise that we'll not cease or relaxation till the final of the hostages is returned for burial in Israel,” the household stated in an announcement.

“Alongside the grief and the understanding that their hearts won't ever be complete once more, Eliyahu’s return brings some measure of solace to a household that has lived in insufferable uncertainty and doubt for over two years,” the Hostage Household Discussion board stated in an announcement.

IDF troops salute over the casket containing the physique of slain hostage Eliyahu Margalit, within the Gaza Strip, late October 17, 2025. (Israel Protection Forces)

With Margalit’s physique returned, 18 our bodies of useless captives stay held within the Gaza Strip after 28 have been there at first of the present ceasefire.

Israel has accused Hamas of withholding not less than a few of the our bodies intentionally, whereas the phobia group insists that it can not find them as a result of degree of destruction in Gaza.

Hamas stated that the physique it handed over late Friday — which it didn't determine — had solely been retrieved that day. Footage from earlier Friday confirmed Hamas operatives utilizing heavy equipment to dig within the Hamad City residential advanced in Khan Younis.

Individuals and members of the Worldwide Committee of the Pink Cross (ICRC) watch as Palestinians use an excavator to dig deep into the bottom, reportedly looking for our bodies of hostages, in Khan Younis within the southern Gaza Strip on October 17, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Murdered at stables at Kibbutz Nir Oz Eliyahu Margalit is survived by his spouse, Daphna, youngsters Noa, Danny, and Nili, and three grandchildren.

Family members reported that he left his residence early on the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, to feed his beloved horses within the kibbutz steady and that the horses have been additionally taken together with him. Eliyahu was liable for the kibbutz’s cattle for a few years .

אלי מרגלית ז״ל המכונה צ׳רצ׳יל היה מגדל הבקר המיתולוגי של קיבוץ ניר עוז. מדי סבב לחימה מול עזה היינו מגיעים אליו לבדוק מה שלום הפרות. 742 ימים אחרי שנרצח ונחוץ מניר עוז- הלילה הושבה גופתו מעזה. הנה קטע מכתבה שעשינו עימו בעופרת יצוקה ב-2009 כשעוד התבדחנו על המצב. יהי זכרו ברוך pic.twitter.com/u8PPUSgXTT

— Zion Nanous (@zionnenko) October 18, 2025

Sivan Klingbail, the editor-in-chief of The Marker, who grew up on Nir Ouncesand had interviewed Margalit, described him as “all the time sporting work garments and boots, pulling a feed cart, tending to a sick calf — seven days per week.”

Klingbail wrote that Margalit arrived on the kibbutz in 1969 with a youth group, and ever since then raised cattle, overseeing the herd’s enlargement from round 50 calves to five,500 a 12 months at its peak.

Eliyahu Margalit, who was murdered at Kibbutz Nir Ounceson October 7, 2023, and his physique kidnapped to Gaza. His physique was returned on October 17, 2025. (Hostages Households Discussion board)

Gilad Sharon, the son of late prime minister Ariel Sharon, wrote in Ynet in December 2023 about his decades-long friendship with Margalit, constructed after he took over his father’s ranch within the south.

“We met years in the past. He was probably the most distinguished cattle breeder within the nation, and we obtained the calves to begin our herd from him,” wrote Sharon. “There was an instantaneous connection. Regardless of the hole in our ages, we grew to become soulmates. He knew I'd do something for him, and I knew it was mutual.”

Sharon stated that apart from Margalit’s spouse, “everybody referred to as him Churchill. He wouldn’t even flip round should you referred to as him by another identify.” Margalit was “one thing like a western Negev model of Zorba the Greek. Everybody was beguiled by the person who was nothing however love for animals and the harmless coronary heart of a kid inside a big body with an unkempt beard.”

He wrote that “Churchill” died doing one of many issues he liked most, feeding his beloved horses: “The entire kibbutz was in flames, with terrorists in all places, and Churchill went to the stables as an alternative of staying with Daphna and his granddaughter Romi within the safe room of their residence. There he was slaughtered by the barbarians, subsequent to the horses he liked. He simply couldn’t allow them to go hungry.”

Netanyahu’s workplace sends condolences An announcement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace on Saturday stated “the Authorities of Israel shares within the deep sorrow of the Margalit household and all of the households of the fallen hostages.”

The PMO stated that Israel was “decided, dedicated, and dealing tirelessly” to convey again the entire useless hostages for burial, including that Hamas is “required to meet its commitments to the mediators and return them as a part of the implementation of the settlement.”

An armed Palestinian man seems on as an excavator is used to dig deep into the bottom, reportedly looking for hostage our bodies in Khan Younis within the southern Gaza Strip on October 17, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The army stated that it “continues to dedicate all efforts to the return of the fallen hostages, and is getting ready for the continued implementation of the settlement.”

“Hamas is required to meet its a part of the settlement and make each vital effort to return the fallen hostages to their households for correct burial,” the IDF added.

You respect our journalism

We’re actually happy that you just’ve learn X Instances of Israel articles previously month.

You clearly discover our cautious reporting useful, in a time when details are sometimes distorted and information protection typically lacks context.

Your help is important to proceed our work. We need to proceed delivering the skilled journalism you worth, even because the calls for on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.

So in the present day, please contemplate becoming a member of our reader help group, The Instances of Israel Group . For as little as $6 a month you will grow to be our companions whereas having fun with The Instances of Israel AD-FREE , in addition to accessing unique content material accessible solely to Instances of Israel Group members.

Thanks, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Instances of Israel

Join Our Community

Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '272776440645465'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); [ad_2] Source link