Israel mourns Itay Svirsky – body was recovered in Gaza and returned to Israel for burial

The body of the Israeli hostage Itay Svirsky, who was kidnapped by Hamas last Oct. 7, was recovered from the Gaza Strip in a joint operation by IDF and Shin Bet forces, the military announced on Wednesday evening.

Svirsky, a member of Kibbutz Be’eri, was kidnapped during the Hamas invasion in his Kibbutz. His parents Orit and Rafi, were murdered during the slaughter in Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities in the invasion.

After being held with fellow hostages Noa Argamani and Yossi Sharabi for a time, Svirsky was declared dead in January.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “The heart breaks at the heavy loss of the Svirsky family, which also lost Itay's parents, Orit and Rafi of blessed memory, who were murdered in Hamas's deadly attack. Yesterday I met with Shin Bet personnel and I would like to express deep appreciation to them and to the IDF, for their brave operation to recover Itay's body."

"We will continue to take determined and relentless action to return all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” the prime minister vowed.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated, “Our hearts this evening, are with the family of Itay Svirsky, whose body was recovered in a complex and courageous operation by the IDF, the Shin Bet and the security forces.”

“Michal [Herzog’s wife] and I had the privilege of knowing Itay’s parents, Orit and Rafi, who were brutally murdered on October 7. Out of this deep pain and sorrow, I hope the family will find comfort in the ability to lay Itay to rest with dignity, granting him eternal peace.”

“I reiterate my urgent call to act swiftly for the return of all the hostages. It is our moral and ethical duty to bring our brothers and sisters home,” Herzog added.

Hamas released a series of propaganda videos featuring Svirsky, Argamani and Sharabi. In the last video, the terrorists claimed that Svirsky and Sharabi were killed in an Israeli airstrike, which the IDF denied at the time.

Shortly after, the military determined that the two were deceased. Argamani was later rescued alive in an Israeli commando raid in early June.

Upon the news of the recovery of Svirsky’s body, Argamani wrote on social media, “Dear Itay, during our joint stay in captivity we imagined thousands of situations together. How we return to Israel together, how we meet for coffee after everything is over and laugh about everything.”

“Not for a moment did we think that this is how you would return to Israel, as a corpse. Thank you for every moment of our shared time together, you were a friend to me, you were a big brother to me in this dark place. You taught me so many things that I will take with me no matter where I go, now you will be given a proper burial in Israel,” she said.

On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar informed German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock about the recovery of the body of Svirsky, who also held German citizenship, during their meeting.

According to his office, Sa’ar stressed to Baerbock that the most important thing now is to secure a deal to release all of the hostages.

The body of our fellow German Itay Svirsky has been found and brought back to his family. This stirs up again the deep pain over his cruel death in the hands of Hamas. I grieve with his family and hope it will be a comfort to them that they can now lay him to rest. pic.twitter.com/FCcj4DmwsH

— Steffen Seibert (@GerAmbTLV) December 5, 2024

“The body of our fellow German Itay Svirsky has been found and brought back to his family,” Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, wrote on 𝕏.

“This stirs up again the deep pain over his cruel death in the hands of Hamas. I grieve with his family and hope it will be a comfort to them that they can now lay him to rest.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the return of Svirsky’s body for “a proper burial in Israel is an important procedure that allows his family the necessary closure of the circle.”

“There are another 36 families waiting for the most basic thing: a proper burial for their loved ones. The time is ripe for a deal to return all 100 hostages. The State of Israel has a moral and ethical obligation to return all the murdered and fallen to a proper burial, and for the living to be restored in the embrace of their families.”

After the recovery of Svirsky’s body, 100 Israelis remain in Hamas captivity, of whom 96 were kidnapped on Oct. 7. Of those, the IDF has confirmed that at least 35 have died in captivity.