The body of an Israeli hostage has been recovered in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday.

Elad Katzir was first abducted in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, which claimed roughly 1,200 lives, by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group along with his mother, Hanna, according to the IDF. The IDF announced that the hostage’s body was discovered overnight in Khan Yunis, a major urban area in the Gaza Strip, and returned to Israeli territory.

“According to intelligence, Elad was murdered by IJ in captivity,” the IDF said in a statement. “Our mission since the beginning of the war has been, and remains, to locate and bring the hostages home. We will continue to operate until it is complete.”

Katzir’s mother was released in late November, while his father, Avraham, was killed in Israel during Hamas’ initial attack, according to the IDF.

The hostage had been seen alive in two propaganda videos published by the Islamic Jihad group in December and January, according to The Times Of Israel.

Katzir’s sister, Carmit, slammed the Israeli government in a Facebook post following the discovery of her brother’s body.

“He could have been saved, if a deal had been reached in time. Our leadership is cowardly and motivated by political considerations, and that it why that didn’t happen,” Carmit Palty Katzir wrote. “He was abandoned on October 7, and was then abandoned for 183 days during which he could have been brought back home alive.”

Katzir’s discovery comes as thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv to call for elections to replace Israeli government officials and to negotiate a hostage release with Hamas, according to The Washington Post.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to such calls on Sunday, arguing that an election would “paralyze Israel for at least half a year” and would be celebrated by Hamas.

“The pain of the families of the hostages breaks my heart; I think it breaks all of our hearts,” said Netanyahu. “Anyone who says that I’m not doing everything to bring back our hostages is wrong and is misleading others.”

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

• About
• Latest Posts

Mary Lou Masters

Latest posts by Mary Lou Masters (see all)

• ‘Deleterious effect’: Dems worried anti-Israel protests at convention could throw wrench in Biden’s campaign - May 25, 2024
• Republican governor calls special session to help ensure Biden is on state’s ballot - May 24, 2024
• Exclusive: Swing-state Dem senator says concerns about males competing in female sports are ‘unfounded’ - May 23, 2024

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.