Israel said on Thursday, February 27, that three of the four hostages whose bodies were returned by Hamas were murdered in captivity. According to the Prime Minister's Office Benjamin Netanyahu, Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan and Itzik Elgarat were reportedly killed while in custody in the Gaza Strip.
The fourth body handed over, that of Shlomo Mansour, corresponds to an Israeli killed in the attack of October 7, 2023, whose body had been taken to Gaza. This restitution comes as part of an exchange between Israel and Hamas, which also led to the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners.
Among the victims was Ohad Yahalomi, a French-Israeli national who was abducted from his kibbutz in Nir Oz during the October 7 attacks. His death was announced in January 2024 via a video from a Hamas-allied group, but was never confirmed by the Israeli military. The president Emmanuel Macron reacted on X, denouncing the “barbarity of Hamas” and recalling that 50 French people had lost their lives during these attacks.
This exchange marks the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, in force since January 19, while the truce is due to expire on Saturday.
