Jerusalem
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The Israeli government has identified the deceased hostage whose body was handed over by Hamas on Thursday as Manny Godard, 73, an Israeli citizen living in a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip.
Godard and his wife Ayelet were killed on October 7, 2023, in a Hamas attack on an Israeli community near the Strip. His body was then taken to Gaza.
During the attack, Godard and his wife hid in a safe room in their home on Beeri Kibbutz. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement on Thursday that he fled after his home was set on fire and that his attackers “ambushed him outside.” After the father of four was killed, “Aylet hid in the bushes for several hours until he was also killed,” the forum added.
According to the forum, Godard spent his childhood on Israeli beaches with his father, who was a lifeguard. After that, Godard also became a lifeguard.
The Israeli National Center for Forensic Medicine confirmed his identity after his body was released by Hamas to the International Committee of the Red Cross and then handed over to Israeli authorities. The handover leaves three dead hostages in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement announcing Godard’s identification, the Prime Minister’s Office said Israel was “determined, dedicated and strenuous in bringing back all deceased hostages for a proper burial in their homeland.”
In the transfer as part of a cease-fire agreement brokered by the United States, Israel earlier said it had received the coffin containing the remains through the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip and transferred it to Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification. Hamas has not said which of the last few dead hostages it will hand over.
Hamas’ military wing announced early Thursday that it would hand over the bodies of Israelis found near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
The release of the remains comes after a series of transfers last week, including that of Gaza’s longest-held dead hostage. Hamas on Sunday handed over the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was killed in the final stages of the 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas. Goldin’s body was removed for the fifth time in just over a week, giving Hamas the last of its dead left in Gaza.
Israeli intelligence assesses that Hamas may not be able to locate and return all of the dead hostages remaining in Gaza. However, Hamas continues to search for bodies across Gaza.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum continues to organize rallies in Tel Aviv and across Israel calling for the release of the remaining deceased hostages.
Eitan Horn, recently released after 738 days in captivity, said at Hostage Square over the weekend: “We cannot begin our journey of healing and recovery as long as we know that we have family members who are not with us on this journey. Without the return of all hostages, we have no future.”
Other freed hostages expressed similar sentiments, stating that recovery cannot begin until all hostages, living and dead, are returned home.
