76-year-old and 35-year-old captives died in Hamas captivity, IDF confirms – possibly from friendly fire incident.
By World Israel News Staff
Two more Israeli hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip since October 7th have been confirmed as dying while in captivity, the IDF announced Monday.
An army spokesperson said that intelligence has verified that 35-year-old Yagev Buchshtav, a resident of the Gaza border town of Nirim, and Alexander Dancyg, 76, of Nir-Oz, are no longer alive.
“IDF representatives on Monday informed the families of Yagev Buchshtav and Alex Dancyg, of blessed memory, who were brutally kidnapped to the territory of the Gaza Strip, that they are not among the living, and their bodies are being held by the Hamas terror group,” the army said Monday.
“The decision to declare their deaths was based on intelligence information and approved by the Health Ministry’s committee of experts, in cooperation with the Religious Affairs Ministry and Israel Police.”
The Hamas terror organization claimed on March 10th that the two captives had been killed by Israeli forces operating in the Gaza Strip.
Israel declined to comment on the claim initially until additional information was gathered regarding the condition of the captives and the possibility they were inadvertently killed by the IDF.
The IDF spokesperson emphasized that despite claims by Hamas that the two were killed by the Israeli military, the army has yet to determine with certainty the cause of death.
“The circumstances of their deaths in Hamas captivity are under investigation by all of the relevant professionals.”
The two were believed to have been held in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, where the IDF operated from December 1st through the first week of April before withdrawing.
The IDF signaled Monday that it was reentering the southern humanitarian zone spanning Al-Mawasi and eastern Khan Yunis.
Buchshtav, a sound technician, and his wife, Rimon Buchshtav-Kirsht, were abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, with Rimon subsequently released in the November hostage deal.
Born to Holocaust survivors, Dancyg worked as a farmer and a historian, with a 30-year career at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem.
He was also active with the March of the Living organization, which operates educational trips to important Holocaust-related sites in Europe.
“The International March of the Living organization mourns the death of historian and educator Alex Dancyg, who was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz on October 7 and murdered by Hamas terrorists in Gaza a few weeks ago,” the group said in a statement Monday.
“Alex was one of the founders of youth trips to Poland, a person who promoted Israeli-Polish dialogue, and educated generations of teachers and students about Holocaust remembrance.”
“In the 2024 March of the Living, his son Yuval participated in the delegation of victims of October 7, alongside Holocaust survivors, released hostages, and family members of hostages still in captivity. During the march, we prayed for his return and the return of all the hostages. On this difficult day, we wish to share in the deep sorrow of the family, who moved mountains to bring Alex home alive. May his memory be blessed.”
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