Israel Confirms Return of Lior Rudaeff’s Body from Gaza
Israel has confirmed that the body recently returned from Gaza belongs to Lior Rudaeff, a 61-year-old Israeli-Argentinian resident who was killed during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli authorities completed forensic identification after the remains were handed over by Hamas and allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and then to Israeli officials late last week.
Lior Rudaeff was a longtime resident of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, a farming community near the Gaza border. On the morning of 7 October 2023, Hamas and other militants launched a large-scale assault across multiple border communities, killing civilians and soldiers and taking hostages into Gaza.
Though Rudaeff was not an active soldier at the time, he served as a deputy security coordinator and civil defense volunteer for his kibbutz. When the attack began, he joined others in defending the community. Israeli authorities later confirmed that he was killed in the fighting, and his body was taken into Gaza by militants.
Return Under Ceasefire Agreement
The return of Rudaeff’s body is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The deal includes:
- The transfer of all living hostages held in Gaza
- The return of the remains of deceased hostages
- Exchange of other detainees and bodies between both sides
Rudaeff is the 23rd deceased hostage returned to Israel under this agreement.