Hostage Itzhak Elgarat's body was retuned to Israel last night and identified at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir.
The town of Nir Oz announced that he was murdered in captivity. The town eulogized him: "He was an integral part of the social landscape, loved spending time at the local pub, hosting friends, and connecting generations."
"His great love for soccer and backgammon was well-known, and he shone in local games, always with a smile and good-natured."
A month and a half after the October 7th massacre, the family was informed that he was still alive but injured. His brother Dani frequently gave interviews and advocated to recover the hostages.
Dani published a poignant letter expressing his deep pain and sense of failure over the abandonment of the hostages.
"The bitter news arrived, and you appeared on the list. You will not return from the sadistic captivity. You were sacrificed on a political altar," Dani tweeted.
He blamed Israel's elected officials for abandoning his brother and the other hostages. "This is the last night without information and the last without worry. Funeral preparations are underway; a plot has been chosen, the location of the mourning was determined. The struggle ended in defeat."
"I failed in my rescue mission. You were taken wounded from the shelter. I was 'completelt defeated,'" Dani continued, paraphrasing a popular protest slogan.
"Forgive me and the entire country, we did not do enough to save you, I did not fulfill the promise to bring you back safely," Dani concluded.