The body of the tenth hostage returned to Israel from Gaza under the recent ceasefire deal has been identified, the hostage’s kibbutz said on Saturday.
“Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the return for burial of our beloved Eliyahu (Churchill) Margalit, of blessed memory,” a spokesperson for the kibbutz said in a statement.
Margalit was killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel two years ago, and his body was later taken to Gaza, the statement said.
“We will always remember him as a kind-hearted man whose world was filled with family, kibbutz, nature, and animals,” it said.
The Red Cross had on Friday transferred Margalit’s body to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) personnel in Gaza.
Hamas also confirmed that it transferred the body to the Red Cross staff. Spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement that Hamas will “continue working to complete the entire exchange process.”
There are now 18 deceased hostages left in Gaza.
Frustration has intensified in Israel over the delay in returning the bodies of remaining hostages, a condition outlined in the ceasefire agreement that went into effect last week.
Hamas has said that it handed over all of the hostage remains that it could access. Israeli intelligence has assessed that Hamas may not be able to find and return all the remaining dead hostages in Gaza.
Israel believes that Hamas knows the locations of some of the deceased hostages that it claims are missing, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter, as the dispute continues over the return of the bodies.
Hamas’ armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said on Wednesday that “significant efforts and special equipment” are needed to recover the bodies of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
In that statement, al-Qassam Brigades said it has “abided by what was agreed upon and has handed over all the living captives in its possession and the corpses it could access.”
CNN’s Lauren Izso contributed to this report.
