Danny Elgarat, the brother of Itzhik Elgarat, 67, who was captured by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, revealed at a Knesset House Committee meeting on Monday that he learned that his brother died of a heart attack while being interrogated by the terrorists in Gaza.
On Sunday, intelligence officials visited Elgarat and told him the news.
“My brother was with Edan Alexander,” Elgarat told the committee, referring to the young IDF soldier, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, who was released in May.
“They suspected that [Itzhik] was a pilot because he had a tattoo with the shape of an eagle on his hand. They took him for interrogation and he didn’t come back,” his brother said.
“Edan Alexander asked where Itzik was and they told him ‘He was gone.’ Itzik died. He was murdered. He had a heart attack during the interrogation as he was tortured,” Danny Elgarat said.
On Feb. 26, Itzik Elgarat’s body was returned as part of a hostage deal, along with the remains of Shlomo Mansour, 86, Ohad Yahalomi, 50, and Tsachi Idan, 49. All four men had been murdered in Gaza.
Itzik‘s funeral was held at Kibbutz Nir Oz on March 3. He is survived by two children.
The kibbutz, located near the border with the Gaza Strip, was among the hardest-hit communities during the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion. One in four residents was killed or kidnapped, including the Bibas family.
In November of last year, the kibbutz voted to rebuild.
