Hostage Idan Shtivi Hy’d, Returned From Gaza

The IDF and Shin Bet announced motzi Shabbos that they had recovered the murdered hostage Idan Shtivi Hy’d from Gaza.

A day earlier, the military reported that it had retrieved Ilan Weiss Hy”d and another hostage, whose identity was not immediately released.

It was later confirmed that the second hostage was Idan, who was murdered during Hamas’ assault at the Nova festival on October 7, 2023.

Idan, 28, was identified by experts at the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called Idan “a man of great courage and heart.”

“On October 7, 2023, he took part in the Nova music festival, and when the terrorist attack began, he acted to rescue and save many participants at the party,” Netanyahu said.

Idan had volunteered to photograph the festival and was seized by Hamas terrorists during the massacre.

He had arrived at 6 a.m., only thirty minutes before the attack began, and phoned his girlfriend at 7, describing the rockets overhead and saying he was heading out.

Driving away with two friends, Idan was stopped by terrorists on the road north. He turned back south but lost control of his car after being forced off the road, crashing into a tree.

That was the last time he was seen. The car was later discovered riddled with bullets and covered in blood, with the bodies of his two friends inside.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Saturday night that Netanyahu personally spoke with both hostages’ families.

According to the PMO, Netanyahu “praised the courage of Ilan and Idan, who acted on October 7 to save lives,” and emphasized that Israel is “working tirelessly to return all hostages, the living and the dead alike.”

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued his “deepest condolences” to Idan’s family and lauded his heroism.

Both Netanyahu and Katz pledged to bring back the remaining 48 hostages. Of them, 20 are thought to be alive, two are unaccounted for, and 26 have been confirmed as murdered.

Hostage affairs envoy Gal Hirsch wrote on X that he and IDF officials went to Idan’s parents’ home to deliver the painful news.

President Yitzchak Herzog expressed his hope that the return of Idan’s body “will bring a measure of comfort to his beloved parents, Eli and Dalit, and to his siblings, who have shown remarkable strength in their determined struggle for his return.”

“These moments of deep sorrow remind us of one truth: Hamas’s crimes are crimes against humanity. The world must act with moral clarity and press for the release of all the hostages. Every last one,” Herzog added.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid wrote on X: “We will remember Idan’s smile forever. Idan, who chose to stay and try to save his friends who danced for life.”

“Dalit and Eli, I’m sending you and all your family a strong embrace. Everyone who met you along the way knows how you fought for Idan and for all the hostages,” he said to Idan’s parents.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed its “deep gratitude to the IDF and security forces who operated, and continue to operate, with dedication and courage, and brought about Idan’s return.”

The forum also recognized the professionals who worked to confirm his identity.

“The complicated identification process, which took a number of days, is a difficult and painful reminder of the material risk of the fallen disappearing under the ruins of Gaza,” it stated.

“The return of the hostages is the key to achieving an Israeli victory, it is the only path to healing and national recovery. The nation of Israel wants to see all the hostages home, [the living] for rescue and rehabilitation, and [the dead] for a fitting burial, in a comprehensive deal.”

The Tikva Forum, representing relatives of abductees who have opposed past hostage-for-ceasefire agreements, also expressed gratitude to the security forces for bringing back Idan’s body and extended condolences to his family.

The announcement of Idan’s recovery came as thousands of Israelis demonstrated across the country, calling for a deal with Hamas to bring back all hostages in return for ending the war. The government is set to hold a security cabinet meeting on Sunday, though reports indicate the proposal Hamas recently accepted will not be discussed.