Israeli volunteer doctor, missing since Hamas attack, found dead near Gaza

Jerusalem:

An Israeli missing during the October 7 attack by Hamas-led Palestinian gunmen and believed to have been taken hostage has been found dead in the border village where he lived, Israeli media said Monday.

After what it described as extensive forensic analysis, the Israeli military confirmed the identification of the remains of Dolev Yehud, whose last name was also spelled Yehud in English.

A military statement said Yehud, a 35-year-old volunteer doctor, was among dozens of residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz killed during the October 7 massacres during which many houses were burned to the ground.

Dozens of other residents were taken captive by Hamas in the neighboring Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Among them was Yehud's sister, Arbel, 28, the family said.

Nine days after the attack, Yehud's wife gave birth to their fourth child.

The Hamas-led rampage, in which Israel said about 1,200 people were killed in southern Israeli communities, sparked an Israeli offensive in Gaza to try to eliminate the Islamist fighting group.

In total, around 250 people, including tourists and foreign workers as well as Israelis, were taken hostage in southern Israel on October 7. Dozens of them were freed thanks to a truce in Gaza at the end of November.

Following Yehud's announcement, the Israeli government said that 120 of the October 7 hostages were still in Gaza. Of these, 39 were declared dead in absentia by Israel, based on witness testimony, forensic analysis and intelligence.

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