Two more Israeli victims of Oct. 7 declared dead

Two more Israeli victims of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre were declared dead late last week—Elyakim Libman, 23, a security guard at the Nova dance music festival presumed to have been taken hostage but whose body was found in Israeli territory, and Dror Or, 49, who was kidnapped to Gaza from Kibbutz Be’eri.

The Israel Defense Forces announced the discovery of Libman’s remains on May 3. According to Israeli media reports, they were accidentally buried along with those of other Nova victims. The military said that his death was determined based on “findings that were identified following a complex investigation” carried out by the IDF, the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israeli Health Ministry.

Libman’s family said that Elyakim stayed behind for hours treating other wounded people on Oct. 7, until he was murdered himself. Hamas terrorists murdered more than 360 people at the Nova festival.

“Together with the Libman family and all of Israel, we are pained and mourn the news of the death of Elyakim Libman...murdered on Simchat Torah [Oct. 7]. Elyakim fought heroically against the evil murderers until the very end, and saved dozens of lives. We prayed for his return during this long and unbearably difficult period,” said Yesha Council chairman Shlomo Ne’eman.

“We send our condolences to our friends Eliyahu Libman, the former head of the Kiryat Arba Regional Council and members of his family, which includes the outgoing CEO of the Yesha Council, Shira Libman, Elyakim’s aunt,” the statement continued.

His confirmed death on Israeli territory lowers the official number of people kidnapped to Gaza on Oct. 7 to 252 and the number of hostages remaining there to 132, of whom 128 were kidnapped on Oct. 7. Four Israelis—two soldiers and two civilians—have been held by Hamas since 2014.

Or was captured by Hamas terrorists along with two of his children—Alma, 13, and Noam, 17—during the hours-long assault on the northwestern Negev. He was murdered during the onslaught and his body taken to Gaza, where it is being held, Israeli official confirmed on May 2.

His wife, Yonat, was also murdered on Oct. 7. Alma and Noam were released in November as part of a truce agreement. A third child, Yahli, was away from the kibbutz on that date and was spared. The three children are now orphans.