Dror Or identified as deceased Israeli hostage whose body was returned from Gaza overnight

Dror Or is the murdered hostage whose body was returned to Israel last night, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Wednesday.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group announced the discovery of his body on Sunday, but it was only last night that Or's remains were transferred to Israel through the Red Cross. Overnight, his body was identified at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and his family was notified.

Two deceased hostages remain in the Gaza Strip: Ran Gvili and Sontesk Rintalk.

Ofer Gitai, director of the Kibbutz Be’eri community, said, “Yaheli, Noam, Alma, Yuval, Dorit, Elad, Dana, and all the beloved Or family – we hope that now you can find some comfort in bringing your father to burial in the soil of Be’eri that he loved so much, to his final rest beside your dear mother, Yonat. We pray that Dror’s return will help you find a measure of peace and begin to recover from that black Saturday that lasted for you nearly 800 days.”

Or, a 48-year-old resident of Be’eri, was a cheesemaker, culinary professional, and yoga instructor. He was murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, by terrorists, and his body was taken to Gaza.

The terrorists who raided the kibbutz also reached the home of the Or family in the Kerem neighborhood – parents Yonat and Dror, and their children Noam and Alma (their eldest son, Yaheli, was not on the kibbutz at the time).

The family barricaded themselves in the safe room as the house caught fire. While inside, Dror and Yonat decided to pass their children out through the window – an act that saved their lives. The couple then split up and tried to escape, but both were caught and murdered by Hamas terrorists.

Their children, Noam and Alma, were abducted to Gaza. They returned as part of the first hostage-release deal in November 2023, after 50 days in Hamas captivity.

It has been two weeks since Hamas last returned the body of a fallen hostage, as required under the ceasefire agreement.

Two weeks ago, the body of fallen hostage Meny Godard – a 73-year-old resident of Be’eri, father of four and grandfather, was returned to Israel. He was buried beside his wife, Ayelet, who was also murdered on Oct. 7.

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