Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials have informed the relatives of Shlomo Mantzur, who was killed during the massacre on October 7, 2023.
Mantzur, 85, was killed by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Kissufim, and his body was kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip where he is being held captive.
His death was confirmed by a panel of health experts and members of the Rabbinate, after reviewing intelligence information received in recent months.
Of the 76 hostages held in Gaza, the IDF has confirmed the deaths of 36 of them.
Kibbutz Kissufim announced that Shlomo Mantzur was killed by members of the Palestinian Islamic terrorist group Hamas.
“It is with great sadness that we, the members of the Kibbutz, received the news this morning of the murder in captivity at the hands of Hamas of our dear friend, Shlomo Mantzur, 86, who was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Kissufim in the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023,” the statement said.
“This is one of the most difficult days in the history of our kibbutz. Shlomo was much more than a member of the community to us: he was a father, a grandfather, a true friend and the beating heart of Kissufim,” the note said.
“His smile, his modesty and his human warmth were an inspiration to us all. Our hearts are broken that we were unable to bring him back alive. The entire community mourns his loss and is united in grief and sorrow,” the kibbutz said.
Mantzur was due to be released in the first phase of the hostage release deal. Hamas has said that eight of the 33 hostages included in the first phase are not alive, but ominously, it has so far refused to identify them.
Mantzur had immigrated to Israel as a child with his family after surviving the pogrom, or massacre against Jews, known as the “Farhud” in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1941.
Kibbutz Kissufim is located in the northwestern Negev Desert, on the border with the Gaza Strip.
The kibbutz is basically a voluntary agricultural commune, often also containing modern industrial facilities.