https://arab.news/puuz4
- Israel believes around 130 captives remain in Gaza, including 34 presumed dead
JERUSALEM: One of the Israeli hostages kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack has been killed and his body is being held in Gaza, two groups representing hostage families said Tuesday.
Uriel Baruch, 35, a father of two, was taken from the Supernova music festival, where 364 people were killed by Hamas militants during the unprecedented attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
The Israeli army told his family that his body was being held in Gaza, the Tikva Forum hostages group said in a statement.
Another group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, also said Baruch had been killed.
It described the techno fan, whose children are aged eight and five, as “a joyful person who loved life and loved to have fun.”
“Uriel’s body is still being held captive by Hamas,” it added.
Militants seized 253 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war and resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Around 100 hostages were released during a truce at the end of November, some in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel believes around 130 captives remain in Gaza, including 34 presumed dead.