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IDF and Shin Bet spokespersons announced Wednesday that the body of Itai Svirsky, 38, was recovered in the Gaza Strip. A resident of Tel Aviv, he was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri where he was visiting his family. His parents, Orit and Rafi Svirsky, were killed in the October 7 massacre. Lt. Col. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said Itai “was detained for approximately four months with Yossi Sharabi and Noa Argamani.” He added: “Itai was recovered during a military operation, the details of which cannot be disclosed. The news has been relayed to his family and we share their pain.”
Noa Argamani, who was held with him in captivity, paid tribute to him in a poignant message on Instagram: “Dear Itai, during our shared captivity we imagined thousands of scenarios together. How we would return to Israel together, how we would take coffee after it was all over and laugh about it all. We never thought you would come back like this, as a corpse.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “During a special operation, the body of Itai Svirsky was recovered. Heart breaks at the heavy loss of the Svirsky family, who also lost Itai's parents, Orit and Rafi, assassinated during the deadly Hamas attack.”
-The Hostages' Families Forum said Itai “received a burial in Israel after 425 days of captivity.” He added that “36 other families are still waiting for the most basic thing: a dignified grave for their loved ones. It is time to reach an agreement to bring back the 100 hostages. The State of Israel has a moral and ethical obligation to bring back all the dead for proper burial, and the living for rehabilitation within their families.”
In January, the IDF announced to Itai's family that he had been killed in captivity by Hamas, alongside hostage Yossi Sharabi. Two days earlier, the terrorist organization had released a video of him, alongside Sharabi and Argamani.
