Kibbutz Be'eri announced Thursday evening that its resident, Dror Or, 48, was killed on October 7 and Hamas is holding his body in Gaza. Two of his children, Noam, 17, and Alma, 13, were released from captivity as part of the hostage-for-prisoner exchange deal after 50 days in captivity. His wife, Yonat, was killed on October 7 by terrorists who infiltrated from Gaza.
"Kibbutz Be'eri is heartbroken upon learning of the murder of our beloved friend Dror Or, who was kidnapped from his home on October 7 by Hamas," according to a statement issued by the kibbutz. "A committee of experts that met today, with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Health, the intelligence agencies, the Israel Police, the Ministry of Religion, and the Chief Rabbi of Israel, determined based on the findings presented to it that the late Dror Or is no longer alive. Dror was murdered on October 7 and his body was kidnapped and is held by the brutal terrorist organization Hamas."
"Dror was a devoted father to three children, Yahli (18), Noam (17), and Alma (13), a loving spouse of Yonat Or who was murdered on October 7, son of Yuval and Dorit Or and brother of Elad and Dana, who constantly worked for his release from captivity. Noam and Alma were also kidnapped and returned to Israel as part of the hostage deal. The Be'eri community always held the hope that his children, his parents, his brother and sister would be returned alive. Every day that passes, we must do everything so that all the hostages can return to their families, our air is running out."
Alma and Noam were kidnapped together to Gaza from Be'eri on October 7, and were held captive for 50 days. The two did not know what had become of their parents. When they were released, they discovered that their mother was murdered in a massacre in the kibbutz, and their father was also kidnapped to Gaza.
Two weeks after the murderous Hamas attack, Yonat's body was found. The eldest son Yahli, who was volunteering in a year of national service in the north, was not on the kibbutz at the time of the attack.
The uncle of Noam and Alma told media outlets around the world after their release that throughout captivity the two did not know that their mother was murdered on October 7. The uncle, Ahal Besorai, who lives in the Philippines, told CNN that the thought of reuniting with their mother strengthened the two during the long and terrible time in Gaza, and that they received the bitter news only when they were released and reunited with family members.
"The dream was shattered," he told CNN. "My sister, their mother, was murdered on October 7. The children did not know this. We thought they were together at the time of the kidnapping, but in fact they were separated from each other from the first moment. When they crossed the border back and were reunited with their grandmother and their older brother, the first news they had to hear was a terrible and traumatic moment for them to deal with, that their mother was no longer alive."
Some 133 hostages are being held in the Gaza Strip. In the last 208 days, reports were received of the deaths of dozens of the hostages, many of whom were murdered as early as October 7 and others during their captivity.