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Israeli soldier in Kibbutz Beeri: The 25-year-old was abducted by Hamas on October 7

Photo: Ariel Schalit / dpa

A 25-year-old Israeli was murdered in the Gaza Strip while held captive by the Islamist Hamas, according to his family. The Forum of Hostage Families and the village of Kibbutz Beeri, where the young man came from, confirmed his death: "It is with great sadness and a broken heart that we announce that he has been murdered." The student was abducted by terrorists from the border town to the Gaza Strip on October 7. His grandmother and brother were murdered in the Hamas massacre.

The kibbutz, a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip, was the scene of one of the worst massacres perpetrated by Hamas and its allies in their attack on Israel on October 7. In Beeri alone, 80 of the 1110,<> inhabitants were killed, and many others were deported to the Gaza Strip, including the student.

Hamas' armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, released a video on Friday. It initially showed the 25-year-old alive. At the end, a bloody corpse can be seen. The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades claimed that he had been killed during an Israeli rescue attempt.

"We didn't rescue any hostages in this operation"

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Friday that two Israeli soldiers had been seriously injured during a hostage rescue operation. "We didn't rescue any hostages in this operation," he said. Hagari did not say anything about the fate of the hostages.

The Forum of Hostage Families said it would demand the return of the young man's body as part of any deal with Hamas for the release of prisoners. "We won't rest until everyone is home."

According to the Israeli army, 138 hostages are currently still in the hands of Hamas and other extremist groups in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli sources, a total of around 240 people were kidnapped in the raid on border towns in Israel. As part of a deal between the government in Jerusalem and Hamas, a total of 105 hostages were recently released. In exchange, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

czl/dpa/AFP