Hostage Remains Identified Following Return from Gaza
The latest hostage remains returned from the Gaza Strip have been officially identified as those of Lior Rudaeff, a 61-year-old Israeli man. According to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rudaeff lost his life while defending his community during the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023.
A Life of Service Cut Short
Lior Rudaeff, who was born in Argentina but moved to Israel as a child, was a respected member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in southern Israel. For more than 40 years, he had volunteered as an ambulance driver and was an active member of the community's emergency response team. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed he died defending the kibbutz during the assault.
His body was taken to Gaza during the attack and was only returned to Israel on Friday, 8 November 2025, as a direct result of the ongoing ceasefire agreement that took effect on 10 October.
Ceasefire Terms and Ongoing Exchanges
Under the terms of the truce, Hamas is obligated to return all hostages and their remains. So far, the group has returned 23 hostages, but the bodies of five more individuals are still to be handed over.
In a reciprocal measure, Israel has been returning the bodies of Palestinians. The deal stipulates that Israel returns 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli hostage. Hospital officials in Hamas-run Gaza reported receiving another 15 bodies on Saturday. To date, the bodies of 300 Palestinians have been returned, though authorities in Gaza, lacking access to DNA kits, have struggled with identification, having only named 89 of the deceased.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Gaza
Concurrently, United Nations officials have issued stark warnings regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza. They state that the levels of aid flowing into the territory are well below what is required to support the Palestinian population.
Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq clarified that while the ceasefire terms require Israel to allow substantially more aid, the reality on the ground is lagging. He stated that although more than 200,000 metric tonnes of aid are positioned to move into Gaza, a mere 37,000 tonnes have actually arrived so far, highlighting a critical shortfall in essential supplies.
