Israeli forensic examiners have identified the remains of a deceased Israeli hostage returned from Gaza as those of Dror Or, the prime minister’s office said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Hamas transferred the remains to Israel through the Red Cross. The handover leaves two deceased hostages – an Israeli and a Thai national – still in Gaza from Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in October, ending two years of war that killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and reduced much of the enclave to rubble.
As part of the deal, Hamas agreed to release the remainder of the 251 hostages – dead and alive – that it kidnapped on October 7. The last 20 living hostages were released in mid-October.
Or, 48, was killed in Kibbutz Be’eri during the attacks. He was initially believed to have been abducted, but in May 2024 his family was informed that he had been killed in the attack alongside his wife, Yonat. His body was taken to Gaza.
The parents left behind three children, two of whom were also abducted and taken into Gaza but were released in November 2023.
In Hebrew, Dror means “freedom” and Or means “light.” Or’s family said his name described him perfectly: “a free spirit spreading strong light around the world,” according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Or was described by the forum as a devoted father. He was the chief cheesemaker at the Be’eri dairy, and a yoga teacher.
The release of his remains comes after a series of such transfers in recent weeks as Hamas has handed over the deceased hostages still in Gaza.
Israeli intelligence has assessed that Hamas may not be able to find and return all the remaining dead hostages in Gaza. But Hamas has continued to search for remains in different parts of the enclave.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has continued to organize rallies in Tel Aviv and elsewhere across Israel calling for the release of the remaining deceased hostages.
