Israeli hostage in Gaza killed in captivity

Tel Aviv [Israel]: Sahar Baruch, a 25 year-old Israeli who was taken hostage on October 7 has died in captivity, Kibbutz Be’eri announced on Saturday of its former resident.

“It is with great sadness and a broken heart that we announce the murder of Sahar Baruch who was kidnapped from his home by Hamas terrorists to Gaza on Black Saturday and murdered there,” the kibbutz said in a joint statement with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“His brother Idan was murdered by Hamas on October 7. We share in the unbearable grief of his parents, Tami and Roni, his brothers, Guy and Niv, his family and all his loved ones. We will demand the return of his body as part of any hostage return deal. We will not stop until everyone is at home.”

The announcement was made in response to a propaganda video released by Hamas on Friday claiming Baruch had been killed during an Israeli attempt to rescue hostages. The Israel Defense Forces denied Hamas’s claim and said Baruch was murdered by the terror group.

Baruch was an engineering student at Ben Gurion University. His brother, Idan, and his grandmother, Geula Bachar, were among the 100 residents of Be’eri massacred by Hamas on October 7.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Hamas currently holds 137 men, women, children, soldiers and foreigners captive in Gaza.

Some people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.