Only today (Sunday) was it allowed to be published: Alongside the body of Yair (Yaya) Yaakov, who was returned to Israel last week from Hamas captivity, the body of the deceased abductee, Lt. Col. (res.) Aviv Atzili, was also returned.
Atzili, a member of the Kibbutz Nir Oz readiness squad, went out to fight the terrorists on the morning of October 7th, fell in battle and was kidnapped from the kibbutz by Islamic Jihad terrorists.
He was 49 years old at the time of his death.
His wife Liat was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and returned from captivity as part of a hostage deal.
The difficult news of her husband's murder was delivered to Liat a day after she returned from captivity.
The couple has three children, ages 18, 20, and 22. The youngest, Aya, was at Kibbutz Samar in the Arava that Sabbath, where she was serving a year of service. The older children, Ofri and Neta, were at the kibbutz during the massacre and survived.
"Aviv was one of the pillars of the Nir Oz community, and managed the agricultural equipment garage on the kibbutz. A painter, cyclist, lover of people and land. May his memory be blessed," Kibbutz Nir Oz said.
The bodies of the two were recovered from Khan Yunis.
They were located when forces from Brigade 188 found a tunnel shaft and identified signs that raised suspicions that it was a place where there were hostages. Forces from the Yahalam unit were dispatched to the scene, entered inside, and located the two deceased hostages.
In the Gaza Strip, 53 hostages remain, 20 of them alive, 33 dead.
English 
Hebrew