For the families of Israeli hostages whose remains were recently identified, the long wait for closure has brought a painful new beginning—the start of mourning.
The family of Eitan Levy, abducted from Mefalsim Junction on October 7, 2023, learned overnight Tuesday that his body had been identified at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, alongside fellow hostages Tamir Nimrodi and Uriel Baruch. Nearly two years after his abduction, Levy’s loved ones now prepare for burial instead of reunion.
“In a way, everything is only beginning—the rehabilitation, the mourning,” said his daughter-in-law Shir. “Instead of packing a hospital bag, we packed a bag for the shiva.”
Levy’s only son, Shahar, described the moment the army informed them. “I couldn’t sleep. When the officers called, I was driving—I went straight to my mother,” he said. “The relief wasn’t as great as I expected. A stone lifted off my heart, but it’s shattered—you can’t glue broken pieces back together.”
Levy was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, and his body was taken into Gaza. As the family prepares for his funeral two years later, Shahar said he hopes to find some sense of peace: “Maybe at the funeral, I’ll feel some beginning of healing.”
He also expressed gratitude to the families of fallen soldiers who fought to bring the hostages home: “I share the grief of all those who fought for this. The war isn’t over—the clock hasn’t stopped.”
Shir said the family received confirmation of Eitan’s identification at 4:30 a.m. “All along, we hoped it was a mistake, that he was alive—even if it wasn’t rational, that’s what we wished for,” she said. Still, she found solace knowing he would be laid to rest properly. “He deserves a dignified burial, and we want him remembered as a loving man, a family person, a friend—not just as a victim of October 7.”
She added: “That day, our souls were kidnapped too. Then again on December 8, when we were told he was gone—and again tonight. Until all the hostages come home, this wound won’t close.”
Levy, 53, from Bat Yam, had driven to Kibbutz Be’eri before the attack. On his way back, he called his sister Sigalit to say he was afraid after hearing rockets. “Suddenly, I heard him say, ‘Oh my God,’ and then, ‘Allahu Akbar,’” she recalled. “After the call cut off, I had to sit and listen for three hours as the terrorists drove his car.”
“The ground fell beneath us”
The family of Bipin Joshi, a Nepali national kidnapped from Kibbutz Alumim, also said their final goodbye this week. His remains were returned alongside those of hostages Daniel Peretz, Yossi Sharabi, and Guy Illouz.
“Just a week ago, we published proof that our beloved son was alive—and now we’ve received the worst news of all,” Joshi’s family wrote in a statement issued in both Hebrew and Nepali.
The video they received, captured by the IDF from Hamas materials, showed Bipin alive and healthy. “We clung to faith and hope that we’d see his beautiful smile again—but he was murdered in Hamas captivity,” the family said. “The ground fell beneath our feet. It’s impossible to describe the void left since that day two years ago, which has now deepened into an abyss.”
Joshi was abducted during Hamas’s assault on Kibbutz Alumim. During the fighting, he reportedly caught a grenade thrown by terrorists and hurled it back, saving several of his friends.
“Bipin, you are a hero,” his family said. “The grenade you threw out before being brutally kidnapped saved lives. We feared your captors would learn of your bravery and harm you.”
They added: “Every flower we plant will remind us of you—every grove, every field. You are part of Nepal’s landscape, and now also part of Israel’s.”
The family expressed gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump, and to the governments of Israel and Nepal, for helping bring their son home.
“Soon you will return home for eternal rest,” they wrote. “We will keep fighting—for sanity, for strength to get up each morning, for the future, just as you asked. Rest in peace, our beloved. We love you.”