Gaza’s elder hostage was killed in the October 7 attack, says Israel

The Israeli army has said that an elder Israeli was killed during Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 against southern Israel and that his body is being held hostage in Gaza.

Shlomo Mansour, born in Iraq, 86, was kidnapped by gunmen at his home in Kibbutz Kissufim. His wife, Mazal, managed to escape.

The army said that the decision to confirm Shlomo’s death was based on intelligence gathered in recent months and was approved by an expert committee of the Ministry of Health.

His name is on the list of the Israeli government of 33 hostages that will be launched by Hamas during the first phase of a high fire agreement that is under increasing tension.

Until now, 16 live Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jail since January 19. Hamas has also delivered five Thai hostages.

It is assumed that the remaining Israeli hostages, two children, a woman, five men over 50 and nine men under 50, will be released during the next three weeks. Both parties have said that eight of those hostages are dead but have not named them.

On Monday, Hamas warned that postponing the scheduled launch of the next group of three this weekend, unless we, Qatar, Qatar and Egyptian mediators approached what they said were Israeli violations of the agreement, including delays in allowing shelters and Medical supplies.

The threat led to the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to propose that Israel cancel the agreement and “let Hell Break out” if Hamas did not free all the hostages for noon on Saturday.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Hamas’ measure was a complete violation of the high fire agreement and told the Israeli army to prepare for any possible scenario in Gaza.

Shlomo Mansour was born in Baghdad and when a child survived Faryhud’s pogrome against the Jewish community of the Iraqi capital in 1941.

He emigrated to Israel with his family at the age of 13 and helped find Kibbutz Kissufim, where he worked at the chicken factory and glasses.

On October 7, 2023, hundreds of armed men led by Hamas broke into the perimeter fence of Gaza de Israel and attacked many nearby Israeli communities, including Kissufim. They killed some 1,200 people were killed and took another 251 to Gaza as hostages.

Shlomo and Mazal, who had five children and 12 grandchildren, fled to the safe room of his house that day, but a group of gunmen shot at the door and were able to open it. Mazal hid in the bathroom, but they found Shlomo, handcuffed him and took him out of the house.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army said he had informed the Mansour family that he was later killed by the gunmen and that they took their body back to Gaza as a hostage.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he and his wife, Sara, sent their sincere condolences to the family after the “bitter news.”

“We will not rest or remain silent until it is returned for burial in Israel,” he added.

“We will continue to take certain and implacable measures until we return to all our hostages: the living and the deceased.”

The hostages and the missing families, which represents some of the relatives of the hostages, said: “We share the deep pain of the Mansour family.”

On Monday, in response to the threat of Hamas to postpone the next hostage launch, the forum asked mediators to help restore and implement the high fire agreement effectively so that the remaining 76 hostages are brought home.

“The recent evidence of those published, as well as the shocking conditions of the hostages published last Saturday, leaves no room for doubt: time is essential, and all hostages must be urgently rescued from this horrible situation,” he warned.

The Israeli government was furious for the demacrated state of Eli Sharabi, 52, Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and / or Levy, 34, who were disadvantaged in front of a crowd in Deir Al-Balah before being delivered To the Red Cross.

An Israeli doctor who treated Sharabi and Levy said they were in a “bad medical condition,” while a hospital official said Mr. Ben Ami was in a “severe nutritional sate and had lost a significant amount of her body weight “

Meanwhile, the family of another hostage, Alon Ohel, 24, said Sunday that they had received their first indication in 16 months that Mr. Levy and Mr. Sharabi were alive, who were captive together with him.

“Since his kidnapping, Alon has been held in hard conditions in Hamas underground tunnels, without daylight or access to basic human needs,” said a statement.

“They have informed us that Alon is injured in his eye. In addition, he is detained in particularly severe captivity conditions, with serious food shortage.”

The Ohel family also urged the Israeli government to move forward in the negotiations with Hamas in the second phase of the high fire agreement, which should see the remaining living hostages released, a high permanent fire and a complete Israeli withdrawal of Gaza.

More than 48,200 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli army launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the October 7 attack, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health of the territory.