Hamas returned to Israel overnight Friday the remains of Israel Defense Forces Warrant Officer (res.) Lior Rudaeff, who died defending Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on Oct. 7, 2023.
IDF representatives informed Rudaeff’s family that his body had been returned to Israel, after it was identified on Saturday morning by the National Center of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the IDF Rabbinate, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Rudaeff, 61 at the time of his death, fought bravely against the dozens of terrorists who invaded the kibbutz. He was part of Nir Yitzhak’s civilian rapid response team, which managed to repel the invaders. Five residents were murdered and eight were abducted into the Gaza Strip.
His body was taken by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, according to IDF intelligence.
Rudaeff’s death was officially determined by the Israeli army on May 7, 2024. He leaves behind his wife, Yaffa, four children, Noam, Nadav, Bar and Ben, three grandchildren, father, sister and brother.
The IDF on Saturday extended its “profound condolences” to the family and said it “continues to make every effort to return all the deceased hostages and is prepared for the continued implementation of the [ceasefire] agreement.”
The Prime Minister’s Office also expressed its sorrow, adding that “The Hamas terrorist organization is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return [the fallen hostages] as part of the implementation of the agreement. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the deceased hostages, every last one of them.”
Rudaeff made aliyah to Israel from Argentina in 1969, and had lived in Nir Yitzhak in the “Gaza Envelope” ever since.
His son Bar survived the Hamas-led attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas claimed that it found Rudaeff’s remains during searches in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, Israel Hayom reported.
There remain five deceased hostages in the Strip; four are Israeli—Meny Godard, Lt. Hadar Goldin (whose remains were taken in 2014), Sgt. Maj. Ran Gvili and Dror Or—and one is Thai, agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak.
According to the ceasefire terms the bodies were supposed to return to Israel within 72 hours of the truce taking effect on Oct. 10.
