An Israeli man long believed to be in Hamas captivity was in fact murdered during the terrorist group’s October 7 attack, Israeli officials confirmed Tuesday.
Hamas terrorists killed 86-year-old Shlomo Mansour at his home in Kibbutz Kissufim and took his body to Gaza. Mansour’s death was determined by “a panel of health experts and members of the rabbinate” based on intelligence gathered in recent months by the Israel Defense Forces, the Times of Israel reported. His wife, Mazal, managed to escape.
Mansour was among 33 Israeli hostages slated for release under the first phase of a recent ceasefire deal. As of Tuesday morning, Hamas has freed only 16 Israeli and 5 Thai hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Seventeen Israelis remain in captivity, with both sides acknowledging that eight hostages are dead. The names of the deceased have not been disclosed.
Mansour’s family described him as “the pillar of strength for our entire family” and “a man of high morals and values, a lover of humanity, who always helped others wholeheartedly,” the Times reported.
Born in Iraq, Mansour survived the 1941 Farhud pogrom against Baghdad’s Jewish community. He emigrated to Israel with his family at age 13 and later helped found Kibbutz Kissufim, the BBC reported.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Mansour “one of the builders of the country,” vowing to bring his body back to Israel. “We will continue to take determined and relentless action until we return all of our hostages—the living and the deceased,” Netanyahu said.
Hamas on Monday threatened to delay its hostage release scheduled for this weekend, accusing Israel of stalling humanitarian aid deliveries. In response, President Donald Trump urged Israel to cancel the deal and “let hell break out” if Hamas fails to release all hostages by Saturday.
