Israelis held hostage in Gaza - part 4

[StillHELDhostage4]

New thread.

Went to post on thread 3 and it's full.

Sad 4th thread and hostages still held by Hamas and others.

Welcome home Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert 🇮🇱

I can't even describe my anger in the way they have desecrated and treated Shiri Bibas.
Welcome home to all those released today.

Welcome home Hisham al-Sayed.

Welcome home.

2 hostages held by Hamas and forced to watch the release 'ceremony' while begging for release. It's just unbearable.

Saul Sadka (on X)

These are the 24 hostages still held in Gaza who will not be among the four released on Thursday. The remains of 34 others, who have been declared dead by the IDF, are also being held.

1. Eitan Horn 2. Segev Kalfon 3. Bipin Joshi 4. Guy Gilboa-Dalal 5. Avinatan Or 6. Yosef Haim Ohana 7. Nimrod Cohen 8. Rom Braslavski 9. Evyatar David 10. David Cunio 11. Tamir Nimrodi 12. Bar Kupershtein 13. Gali Berman 14. Eitan Mor 15. Edan Alexander 16. Pinta Nattapong 17. Omri Miran 18. Elkana Buchbut 19. Alon Ohel 20. Matan Zangauker 21. Ziv Berman 22. Ariel Cunio 23. Maxim Herkin 24. Matan Angrest

About the danger to the remaining hostages of Netanyahu abandoning them. From Haaretz Feb 22.

Trump Should Listen to the Bibas Family, Not to Bibi Netanyahu
While the Bibas family urges the government to prioritize the release of remaining hostages, Netanyahu uses their suffering to push for war - putting Israelis still in captivity at even greater risk

If you want to understand why the families of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza view Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government with suspicion and contempt, just look at two statements made over the weekend.

The first came from the Bibas family, a day after the bodies of Ariel and Kfir, the two read-headed boys kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists on October 7, were returned to Israel. The second was from U.S. President Donald Trump, who repeated what he had heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu

The Bibas family has suffered a tragedy so immense that no words can accurately describe it. First came the kidnapping of father Yarden, mother Shiri, and their two young sons, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Then came the forced separation of Yarden from his wife and children, <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/qT0dG/www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-02-02/ty-article/reports-emerge-of-testimonies-from-hostages-freed-saturday-from-hamas-captivity/00000194-c367-d6fe-a9d6-e777a6e20000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">followed by excruciating 485 days in the dark mess of Gaza's tunnels, where he was held alone until his release as part of the cease-fire deal three weeks ago. During that time, <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/qT0dG/www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-02-22/ty-article/.premium/hostage-shiri-bibas-murdered-in-hamas-captivity-her-body-returned-to-israel-family-says/00000195-2cac-df9b-afdf-bcafdabf0000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shiri and <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/qT0dG/www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-02-21/ty-article/.premium/idf-terrorists-killed-kfir-and-ariel-bibas-with-bare-hands-covering-up-their-actions/00000195-28ec-d05a-ab9f-2cfdd0f20000" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the boys were murdered, and only this week were their bodies finally returned to Israel.

Yarden and the family's surviving relatives have every reason in the world to seek revenge, but in a statement published on Thursday evening (followed by a second one put out on Friday morning), the Bibas family demanded something else: to prioritize the release of all remaining hostages, above anything else.

"We are not seeking revenge now," said Ofri, Yarden's sister and the aunt of Kfir and Ariel. "In this difficult hour, we continue to demand the immediate return of the hostages who are still in captivity. There is no mission more important than this one."

It's no coincidence that this was the family's immediate reaction. More than a dozen of Yarden's neighbors from Nir Oz are still held by terrorists in Gaza. By putting out this statement, and reiterating the message the next day, the family made it clear that saving its neighbors from torture, starvation and potential death is more urgent and important than settling the score with the murderers. That time will come, but only after every hostage is brought home.

Now, contrast this statement with what Netanyahu reportedly told President Trump, according to an interview the U.S. president gave on Friday to Fox News. Trump stated that Netanyahu had decided to renew the war in Gaza without any deliberation, and cited the gruesome murder of the Bibas boys as one of the reasons for this decision.

Trump added that he would support any decision by Israel – words that sent the families of the remaining hostages into a state of panic. For them, renewing the war is akin to a death sentence for their loved ones.

Netanyahu knows full well that if the war is renewed in the coming days, hostages who are now alive will be killed, and the dead bodies of other hostages, who for now can be traced and returned, may be lost forever. But he simply doesn't care for these hostages or their families. His only concern is his own political survival, and he knows that without renewing the war, the fanatics and extremists in his governing coalition will quit. In order to stop his coalition partners from abandoning him, he has decided to abandon the remaining hostages.

The fact that he is using the murder of the Bibas children to justify resuming the war is a testament to his shameless cynicism. Instead of listening to their family and hearing their plea on behalf of the other hostages, he is doing the exact opposite – enlisting this family, which has suffered so much already, to promote a cause they vehemently oppose. Netanyahu's motives are purely political, driven by self-preservation. The bigger question is why Trump would choose to go along with it.

Thank you for sharing their names.

🎗️💙🤍🇮🇱

@ScrollingLeaves your motivation for repeatedly posting Haaretz articles (which we all have access too) that are generally anti Netanyahu and not commenting is puzzling to me.

Live stream of the Bibas family funeral procession

Crowds line streets to pay respects to Bibas family as funeral procession begins

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-february-26-2025/#liveblog-entry-3491287

🫂🇮🇱🎗️
People all over the world are holding Yarden and his family in our hearts today, not just in Israel.

@EllaDisenchanted I found that so hard to watch. The Bibas family are in our hearts.

Thinking of all the hostages today and every day 🧡 The events of the last week have been horrifying and haunting. I have been stunned at the silence from the world on and since October 7th. I am struggling to write this as I cannot begin to comprehend how the Jewish community - let alone the Bibas and Lifshitz families - must feel and I know my words will be inadequate.

All I can say is that I am with you, and I mourn and grieve with you. I am speaking up publicly and I wanted to express solidarity here too. I cannot and will not be silent.

May their memories be a blessing. Bring them all home now.

Have just seen another post and also remembering Tzachi Idan and his family.

Awful footage.

May his memory be a blessing x thinking of them all

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/red-cross-en-route-to-handover-site-in-gaza-to-receive-4-slain-hostages/

Red cross on their way to the handover site.

Been following Heidi Bachram (married to Tzachi Idan's cousin) for months. Just heartbreak on top of heartbreak.

I don't even know if I should say who Hamas say they are releasing until they are identified.

It's 12.30 here, I thought they were being released at 11, but maybe that's just when the process started.

They won't release the Palestinian prisoners until the hostages have been identified.

I don't know what that means then for the rest of the hostages, I thought they were meant to be negotiating stage 2 already.

They need to be released and come home. The nightmare needs to end.

Statement from Tzachi Idan's family, via Adam Ma'anit (cousin) on X:

"Our family has received with great sadness Hamas's announcement that our beloved Tsachi is no longer alive and that his body will be returned to Israel during the night.
We are still waiting for the much-needed certainty, which we can only receive after his arrival in Israel and after all necessary examinations are conducted by the authorized state authorities, while maintaining the privacy of Tsachi and his family.
Since Tsachi was abducted, we received several signs of life, and in the previous deal last November, Tsachi was alive and expected to be released.
We appreciate the tremendous love and support we are receiving from the citizens of Israel, the media, and the Nahal Oz community.
During these difficult hours, we ask that our privacy be respected.
We will provide updates after receiving details from authorized officials of the State of Israel."

He was alive last November. They all need to come home now.

Each family's story is heartbreaking.

Itzik Elgarat (68) has been identified. He was murdered in captivity. ברוך דין האמת, יהי זכרו ברוך 💔

"The kibbutz expresses “deep pain and sorrow.” It says Elgarat, who was abducted at 68, “came to Nir Oz following his brother and became a beloved figure in the community. For years, he served the kibbutz with dedication as a groundskeeper and was responsible for plumbing, gas, and steam maintenance.
“He was an integral part of the social fabric, loved spending time at the local pub, hosting friends, and connecting different generations. His great love for soccer and backgammon was well known, and he shone in local games, always with a smile and a warm spirit.”
He is survived by two children, a brother and two sisters.
“We will remember him for his laughter, his big heart, and his willingness to always be there for anyone in need."
Times of Israel

They are working to confirm whether they have Tzachi Idan, and Shlomo Mantzur, and one further unnamed hostage. Originally the list said Ohad Yahalomi, father of Eitan Yahalomi, who was released in the original deal, but this seems to have changed, as his name no longer comes up.

Shlomo Mantzur has been identified.

Mantzur, 85, was abducted from Kibbutz Kissufim on October 7, 2023.
“Shlomo is brought home after 510 days,” it says.
“Shlomo was born in 1938, and survived the Farhud pogrom in Iraq. He immigrated to Israel in 1951 and was one of the founders of Kibbutz Kissufim.”
The Forum says Mantzur “was an energetic and cheerful man dedicated to giving, a polymath with a strong work ethic.”
It “bows its head in sorrow over the murder of Shlomo and shares in the profound grief of the Mantzur family. There are no words to express the depth of this pain.”

Ohad Yahalomi has been identified.

Kibbutz Nir Oz is now announcing that hostage Ohad Yahalomi was murdered in captivity, after his body was returned from Gaza overnight.
“Ohad, who was 50 at the time of his death, was a devoted and loving family man. He was a passionate sportsman and an avid traveler, intimately familiar with every trail and path in the desert he so dearly loved,” it says.
“For years, he worked at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, dedicating his life to the preservation of nature. Out of his deep love for the desert, he co-authored a scorpion field guide with partners and was involved in educational initiatives within the Bedouin community.
Ohad is survived by his wife and three young children.
“We will always remember him as a man of values, filled with compassion, a lover of people and the land. May his memory be a blessing.”

יהי זכרם ברוך 💔

I was holding out hope that Ohad Yahalomi was not on the list earlier because there was a mistake, and he was actually alive 😞

@EllaDisenchanted thank you for all the information.
May their memories be a blessing x

Tzachi Idan has now been identified. יהי זכרו ברוך 💔

Tsahi Idan’s family now says he too has been identified, as the fourth body returned from Gaza.
Idan, 49 at the time of his kidnapping, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, after his oldest daughter, Maayan, 18, was shot and killed through the safe room door.
The terrorists held Tsahi, wife Gali and their two other children hostage in the house for some time until grabbing Tsahi and dragging him to Gaza.

The attack on the family’s home was filmed by the terrorists using Gali’s phone and livestreamed by them to her Facebook account, as the weeping children were seen asking about their dead sister and whether they too would be killed.
Gali and the two children survived.
“The unbearable journey of our family to bring back our beloved and precious Tsahi from the hell of Gaza has come to an end,” the family says.
“Tsahi was abducted while on his feet, and we received several signs of life from him,” it says. “As of the November 2023 deal, he was still alive and was expected to be released.”
“Tsahi will be laid to rest alongside his beloved daughter, Maayan, who was murdered on October 7 while trying to help her father protect the shelter door.”

💔thank you for helping to keep the hostages and their families in our hearts and minds, for sharing their stories. The world is a poorer place without them.

I will never ever forget seeing that footage. I'm absolutely devastated to hear the news today. Maayan was so brave. All she wanted to do was protect her family and she was only 18 years old, just a child and now her father is confirmed dead. I feel physically sick and can't stop crying. Please give the family strength, they are loved and not alone. Always in our hearts and minds.

So angry and filled with wonder about the lack of humanity. This footage will forever stay with me.