Two more Israeli hostages dead
In October of last year, Hamas in Israel takes 251 hostages. Among them are the 35-year-old Jagev Bushschtab and the 76-year-old Alex Dancyg. Now relatives have announced their deaths. The Palestinian terrorist organization still holds over a hundred people captive.
Relatives have announced the death of two more Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip. The death of Jagev Buchschtab and Alex Dancyg is a "clear reminder" that hostages should be brought home as soon as possible, according to a statement from the Hostage Families Forum. German Ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, expressed his condolences to Buchschtab's German wife.
The Israeli army stated that the bodies are being "held by the Hamas terrorist organization." The circumstances of their deaths will be investigated by the authorities. According to the Hostages Forum, the 35-year-old Buchschtab was abducted from Kibbutz Nirim along with his wife Rimon Buchschtab-Kirscht. His wife was released after 50 days of captivity.
"Nine months of hope destroyed"
Nine months of hope were shattered by "the terrible news" of Jagev's death, wrote Seibert on X. "Jagev, a creative person and musician, was taken hostage in Nirim together with his now released wife Rimon, a German citizen. Our hearts are broken."
The 76-year-old Dancyg, son of Holocaust survivors, worked at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and trained foreign guides there. According to other hostages, Dancyg gave history lessons to his fellow prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
"Jagev and Alex were taken hostage alive and were supposed to return to their families and their country alive," 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 hostage release.
Officially 44 dead hostages
The conflict in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the attack of Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli reports, 1195 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip. 116 hostages are still being held captive, 44 of whom are officially reported dead.
In response to the attack, Israel has been militarily active in the Gaza Strip since then. According to reports from the health ministry controlled by the Islamist Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, over 39,000 people have been killed in the meantime.
The Hostage Families Forum expresses concern over the death of Jagev Buchschtab and Alex Dancyg, stating that it serves as a "clear reminder" to bring hostages home as soon as possible. The Israeli army shares that the bodies of the two hostages are being held by Hamas, the terrorist organization responsible for their abduction in October.
