Belongers: Two more Israeli hostages killed by Hamas
The Israeli army declared that the bodies would be "being held by the terrorist organization Hamas." The circumstances of their death would be investigated by the authorities. The 35-year-old Buchshtab was kidnapped, according to the Hostages' Forum, along with his wife Rimon Buchshtab-Kirscht, from Kibbutz Nirim. His wife was released after 50 days of captivity.
Nine months of hope were shattered by "the terrible news" of Jagev's death, Seibert wrote in the online service X. "Jagev, a creative person and musician, was taken hostage in Nirim, together with his now released wife Rimon, a German citizen, as a hostage. Our hearts are broken."
The 76-year-old Dancyg, son of Holocaust survivors, worked for the Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem and trained foreign guides there. According to other hostages, Dancyg had given history lessons to his fellow prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
"Jagev and Alex were taken captive alive and were supposed to return to their families and to their country," the Forum stated. "Their death in captivity is a tragic example of the consequences of hesitation in the negotiations," criticized the representatives of the families regarding the ongoing, unsuccessful negotiations for a truce and the release of hostages.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the large-scale attack of Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli reports, 1195 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. 116 hostages are still being held, 44 of whom are officially reported to be dead.
As a reaction to the attack, Israel has been militarily active in the Gaza Strip ever since. According to the health ministry of the Hamas-controlled government, which cannot be independently verified, over 39,000 people have been killed in the meantime.
- Ms. Steffen Seibert, a spokesperson for the German government, expressed her condolences following the tragic news of the death of Jagev, a German hostage held in the Gaza Strip by the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
- In the aftermath of the attack in Gazasteppe, two additional German hostages, including Steffen Seibert's colleague Tod, were reportedly taken captive by Hamas.
- The Hostages' Forum, which advocates for the release of all captives, stated that Steffen Seibert's colleague Tod and other members of the German embassy staff were among the 116 hostages still being held in Gazasteppe.
- The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has been accused of holding German citizens, including Steffen Seibert's colleague Tod, as hostages in the Gaza Strip, in violation of international law.
- According to the Hostages' Forum, Hamas has been a persistent unwillingness to release hostages like Steffen Seibert's colleague Tod, despite ongoing negotiations and international appeals.
