Israel has confirmed that human remains handed over by Palestinian groups in Gaza belong to Israeli hostage Dror Or, one of the last three captives who were killed and taken during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023. The announcement follows forensic testing carried out after the body was transferred to Israeli forces on Tuesday.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Office said experts had identified the remains as those of Or, and his family had been formally notified. The transfer took place through the Red Cross as part of an ongoing exchange mechanism linked to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Islamic Jihad, a smaller armed group operating in Gaza, said on Monday that its members had located the remains during searches in central Gaza. According to the Israel Defense Forces, intelligence assessments indicate that Or was killed by Islamic Jihad fighters during the morning of the October 7 assault at his home in Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel. His body was then taken across the border into Gaza. Israel formally recorded his death on 2 May 2024.
Or, 48, was a father of three. He and his wife, Yonat, were killed during the attack on the kibbutz, while their two children, Alma and Noam, were abducted. The children were released in November 2023 under a temporary ceasefire and hostage exchange arrangement. Israeli authorities say two more deceased hostages remain in Gaza, one an Israeli national and the other from Thailand.
The October 2023 assault resulted in the killing of about 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 69,775 people, according to figures from Gaza’s health authorities, and devastated large parts of the territory, leaving widespread hunger and displacement.
Under the current ceasefire, which began on 10 October, Hamas is required to release 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 deceased captives still held in Gaza. All surviving hostages were freed at the start of the truce, but the return of remains has been slow. Hamas has said ongoing destruction and large quantities of rubble are making it difficult to locate bodies.
In exchange for the return of living and deceased hostages, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and transferred the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians killed in the conflict. Officials say the identification and recovery process is continuing, but progress has been uneven.
The return of Or’s brings Israel one step closer to recovering all captives taken on 7 October, but the fate of the last two deceased hostages remains unresolved. Israeli officials say efforts will continue until all are accounted for and returned to their families.
