Israel Says Body of Hostage Elad Katzir Recovered from Gaza
The IDF said Saturday that it had recovered the body of Elad Katzir, an Israeli hostage killed in Gaza. Katzir's sister confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that his body had been returned to Israel....
Facts
- The IDF said Saturday that it had recovered the body of Elad Katzir, an Israeli hostage killed in Gaza. Katzir's sister confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that his body had been returned to Israel.1
- According to the Israeli military, Israeli troops found Katzir's body buried underground in southern Khan Younis, claiming he was killed in mid-January by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.2
- Information on the grave of Katzir, who was abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 attack, was reportedly first obtained last week and confirmed on Friday.3
- In a video released by his captors in January, Katzir said that he had been close to death more than once and called on Israel to stop the war and bring hostages home. It's unclear whether he was speaking freely or under duress.4
- Katzir worked on agricultural irrigation and was the kibbutz and Israeli military liaison. His father was killed on Oct. 7, while his mother was released in November along with 104 hostages.5
- Following the recovery of Katzir's body, thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv and other cities to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding a Gaza hostage deal to free dozens still captive and to hold early elections.6
Sources: 1Jerusalem Post, 2New York Times, 3Times of Israel, 4BBC News (a), 5Sky News and 6BBC News (b).
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by Haaretz.com. Netanyahu is at least partially responsible for the death of Elad Katzir, as he could have been brought back to Israel alive had the government put the lives of hostages ahead of power struggles. If Israel truly wants to rescue hostages, there's no time to waste.
- Narrative B, as provided by Jewish News Syndicate. It's concerning, not to say outrageous, that political organizations have, with the complicity and support of some hostage families, hijacked this agenda to try to topple the government. There's no way for Israel to safely bring back its citizens other than to regain control over the Gaza Strip.
