Israel confirms identities of four hostages returned by Hamas

The Israeli military announced on Tuesday, October 14, that the bodies of four hostages recently returned by Hamas have been identified, including that of a Nepalese student.

In an official statement, the Israel Defence Forces confirmed that two of the victims were Israeli national Guy Iluz and Bipin Joshi, a Nepalese agriculture student.

The identities of the other two victims have not been disclosed at the request of their families.

Iluz, aged 26 at the time of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault, was attending the Nova music festival when militants stormed the site. According to reports, he attempted to escape in a jeep before hiding in a tree, from where he made his final phone call to his parents. He was later captured and taken to Gaza.

The military said Iluz was wounded and abducted alive, but later succumbed to his injuries in captivity due to the absence of medical care. While the exact date of his death remains unclear, Israeli authorities officially confirmed his death in December 2023. Iluz had worked as a sound technician for several well-known Israeli musicians.

Joshi, 22, had been in Israel as part of a Nepalese agricultural training program that began just three weeks before the Hamas attack. He was kidnapped from Kibbutz Alumim after being photographed seeking shelter alongside Thai workers moments before militants reached the area. “It is assessed that he was murdered in captivity during the first months of the war,” the Israeli military said.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main organisation representing relatives of the captives, welcomed the return of the bodies but underscored that many families remain in anguish. “The return of Guy and Bipin brings some measure of comfort to families who have lived with agonising uncertainty and doubt for over two years,” the group said in a statement. “We will not rest until all 24 hostages are brought home.”

The four bodies were handed over by Hamas on October 13 following the release of 20 surviving hostages as part of the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump. Under the terms of the agreement, Palestinian militants are still holding the remains of 24 hostages, which are expected to be returned in the coming stages of the truce implementation.

By Tamilla Hasanova