The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday night identified the second slain hostage recovered from the Gaza Strip in a June 11 operation as Aviv Atzili, a member of Nir Oz’s emergency response team.
“Warrant Officer (res.) Aviv Atzili, of blessed memory, a member of the emergency response team of Kibbutz Nir Oz, went out to fight terrorists on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, and fell in battle,” the IDF said, referring to the Hamas massacre of some 1,200 people, mainly Jewish civilians.
Atzili’s remains were “abducted from the kibbutz by terrorists from the Islamic Jihad terror organization,” the military statement continued.
Atzili was a father of three and was 49 years old at the time of his death.
The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said they “share in the family’s grief and will continue to act and do everything possible to bring all the hostages home.”
Israel’s security forces recovered the remains of Yair Yaakov and another man during an operation in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced last Wednesday evening.
“The bodies of Yair Yaakov and another hostage, who were held hostage for 613 days in Gaza, have been recovered in a joint IDF and ISA military operation,” the IDF said in a statement at the time.
Atzili’s name was not made public last week, pending notification of his family, according to local media reports.
The slain hostage’s wife, Liat Beinin Atzili, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was also kidnapped by terrorists on Oct. 7, but subsequently redeemed by Jerusalem as part of the November 2023 ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Fifty-three hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip—617 days after the massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. Jerusalem believes that at least 20 of the captives are still alive.