Danny Elgarat, whose brother Itzik died in captivity in Gaza and whose body was returned to Israel in the last ceasefire and hostage release deal early in the year, said he had received a message from his brother when he was held hostage.
"Intelligence officials called us today and told us they managed to obtain materials showing Itzik in a video," Elgarat told Ynet on Wednesday. "We finally received a sign of life, after two years - a sign of life from the dead."
Funeral of Itzik Elgarat, who died in Hamas captivity in Gaza
(Video: Herzl Yosef, Meir Turgeman)
He said watching his now-dead brother was difficult. "I watched the clip with my children, he said. "He was very thin, scared and confused. I could see in his eyes that he understood he would probably never leave there alive. He was begging for his life in the video." Elgarat said, adding that he is waiting for his brother's children to return to Israel from abroad. "The moment the video is in my possession - I will release it."
Itzik Elgarat, 69, was abducted from Nir Oz, where he worked as the kibbutz's groundskeeper. "He was an integral part of the social fabric, loved spending time at the local pub, hosting friends and connecting generations," his neighbors at the Kibbutz said. "His passion for soccer and backgammon was well known, and he was a star of local games—always with a smile and good spirit."
His body was returned to Israel along with the remains of Shlomo Mansour, Tsachi Idan and Ohad Yahalomi.
He was buried in his beloved Kibbutz days later. Thousands assembled outside the Great Synagogue in Rishon Lezion, waving Israeli flags and paying their respects before joining the funeral procession that departed the city in the morning and reached the kibbutz in southern Israel by midday.
“My brother, you have come home. I promised I would bring you back, and I kept that promise," Danny said over the open grave. "I am sure you feel at home now—you have returned to Nir Oz. Itzik, sadly, you were right. Your last words before you were taken, bleeding, were ‘Danny, this is the end.’ You already knew, but we refused to believe. We fought with all our strength to prove you wrong. We failed. We didn’t do enough.”
Elgarat criticized the government for its plan to launch a new offensive on Gaza. "The government wants to go into Gaza and kill the hostages," he said. "This is a government that fails to do its job. It should simply move aside and let someone else govern. The hostages are more important than the chair of the prime minister."
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He said the families of hostages have no choice but to be on the streets protesting. "I will do anything I can. I failed to bring my brother home alive, but I hope I do not fail to remove the prime minister from his position."
The families of hostages protested outside the military headquarters in Tel Aviv and called on the government to bring their loved ones home and not to endanger them further by launching an offensive on Gaza City and the refugee camps where hostages are believed to be held.
"More than 80% of Israelis want a deal that would bring the hostages back," they said. "We are fighting for the remaining hostages and for our country and demand an immediate end to the war. We call on the chief of staff and the prime minister to show courage and hear the people."