The second Israeli hostage whose body was discovered in Gaza this week was identified Saturday as 28-year-old Idan Shtivi.
Shtivi was killed at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, and then kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, the Israeli Defense Forces said.
His body was held hostage by Hamas for 693 days.
Shtivi’s remains were one of two Israeli captives found Friday by the military during an operation in the Gaza Strip.
The other hostage had been identified as of Oct. 7 “hero” Ilan Weiss, 56.
Before he was killed, Shtivi, a student at Tel Aviv’s Reichman University who’s been described as a “genuine and generous soul, always putting others before himself and caring for everybody’s best interests,” was volunteering at the desert rave as a photographer.
He helped to evacuate and save other Israeli festival goers from the terror group.
“When the attack began, Idan helped two strangers he had just met escape from the site. This selfless choice ultimately led to his abduction,” the Missing Families Forum said last year when his death was announced.
His father, Eli, had said, “Idan is a person of true giving, from the heart, radiating a unique confidence to everyone around him, always putting others before himself.”
Shtivi fled the festival in a car with two friends, but Hamas terrorists blocked their route.
The vehicle was later found riddled with bullets and soaked in blood. His friends’ bodies were recovered at the scene — but Shtivi was missing, according to the Times of Israel.
He was one of 251 people abducted on Oct. 7.
His family had held on to hope he could still be alive until last October, when the IDF announced his death on the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack, based on new intelligence findings.
In January, his father was among a group who rallied outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private home to demand a deal that would bring the hostages home.
He started a hunger strike, vowing to only eat a quarter of a pita per day until Netanyahu agreed to meet with him.
Authorities say 48 Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity, around 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.