An elderly Israeli man who was thought to have been abducted by Hamas was actually killed in the terror group’s violent October 7 assault, officials have confirmed.
The family of Schlomo Mansour have believed for more than a year that the 86-year-old was among the dozens of Israelis taken hostage on October 7, 2023. They had held out hope until recently that he would be among those returned to the country following the Israeli state’s ceasefire agreement with Hamas, with a steady trickle of hostages heading back to the country since January 19.
But the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed this week that the man was “killed on the very first day” of the horror attacks at Kibbutz Kissufim. His family was also horrified to discover that, while he was killed early on, he was not spared from Hamas’ hostage taking, as his body remains in Gaza.
The IDF said in a statement earlier this week that Mr Mansour was “murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7”, adding: “His body is still being held hostage in Gaza.” The statement from top Israeli officials added: “There are no words.”
The Times of Israel reported that the 86-year-old’s death was declared by “a panel of health experts and members of the rabbinate” based on evidence compiled by the IDF.
The dad’s loved ones have said the news is “hard to accept”, as they had held out hope for months that he would be among those released back to Israel. Hadassah Lazar, his sister, said everyone “thought he would come back” and remembered her brother as a bright-eyed source of strength.
She said: “We thought he would come back, but God had other plans. I always said he gave me strength with his smile and his bright eyes. It’s hard to accept that he has been gone since October 7, that he was killed on the very first day.” Confirmation of the death has also reached Israel’s highest office, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu penning a message to Mr Mansour’s family on X, formerly Twitter.
He said he and his wife extended their “heartfelt condolences to the family of the late Shlomo Mansour”, adding he was “one of the builders of the country and the founders of Kibbutz Kissufim”. Netanyahu also pledged to work “tirelessly” to return Mr Mansour’s remains to Israel.
He said: “We will not rest or be silent until he is returned to the grave of Israel. We will continue to act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all of our hostages – both living and dead.”
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