Tel Aviv [Israel], November 14 (ANI): The body of slain Israeli hostage Meny Godard was returned to Israel by Hamas on Thursday night, officials confirmed, after forensic experts completed their identification of the remains and the military notified Godard’s family. The Israeli Defence Forces called on Hamas to fulfill its part of the deal, noting that the group is still holding the bodies of three other slain hostages, according to The Times of Israel.
Godard, 73, was murdered by Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, alongside his wife, Ayelet, 63. His body was then abducted to Gaza by the Hamas-aligned group. The couple is survived by their children—Mor, Gal, Bar, and Goni—as well as several grandchildren and siblings, The Times of Israel reported.
According to the IDF, Godard’s body was transferred by the Red Cross from the terror group to Israeli troops inside the Gaza Strip, where a small ceremony led by a military rabbi was held. The casket was then escorted by police to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for final identification. Crowds carrying Israeli and yellow flags lined the roads to pay their respects as the convoy passed.
In March, Israeli troops recovered personal items belonging to Godard at an Islamic Jihad post in Rafah, in southern Gaza. The items were identified as his, but his body remained in Gaza until Thursday, The Times of Israel reported.
Hamas, in a joint statement with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said the body had been located in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza. Earlier footage aired by Al Jazeera showed heavy machinery clearing rubble in Khan Younis before masked gunmen uncovered white plastic sheeting that appeared to contain the remains.
The bodies of three slain hostages are still being held in Gaza—two Israelis, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili and Dror Or, and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, according to The Times of Israel. (ANI)
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