Kibbutz Be’eri announces death of resident Dror Or, believed to be abducted on Oct. 7

Kibbutz Be'eri announced on Thursday evening that one its residents, Dror Or, who was believed to be abducted to the Gaza Strip, had already been murdered on Oct. 7 and his body is being held by Hamas terrorists.

His wife Yonat, a well-known furniture designer, was murdered in their home during the attack on the kibbutz on the morning of Oct. 7. She was also believed to have been abducted until her body was discovered several days after the attacks.

The family was reportedly forced out of their safe room by terrorists during the attacks.

Or was taken from his home in Be’eri, together with two of his children - Noam (17) and Alma (13) - and his nephew Liam. Or was apparently killed at a later point. Noam and Alma were released from captivity during the second phase of the hostage deal on Nov. 25. His nephew Liam was released on Nov. 29.

With the announcement of Or's death, the number of abductees murdered and held captive rose to 37.

The Or family's eldest son, Yahli, was not at home during the attacks and survived. He was volunteering in the north as a part of a one-year national service.

Dror was a chef specializing in dairy cuisine, and worked at Be’eri's dairy, producing boutique cheeses.

In its announcement, the community of Kibbutz Be'eri had said they hoped "all along that Dror would return alive from captivity to the embrace of his children, parents, brother and sister."

"Every day that passes kills our friends, our families. Everything must be done so that all the abductees return to their families, our air is over,” they added.

Approximately 129 hostages, not all confirmed to be alive, are still believed to be held in Gaza.

The Hamas terrorist organization has not officially rejected the latest hostage deal proposal. An official answer was expected by Wednesday evening, however, as of press time, no response had been received, signaling a negative stance toward accepting the terms.

Despite U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling the hostage deal “very generous” on the part of Israel, retired IDF general, Giora Eiland, claims the United States is “siding with Hamas” in all areas except the hostages.

“The United States is with us on only one issue - the abductees,” Eiland told KAN Reshet Bet Radio. “In everything else, they are with Hamas.”