After 503 days of uncertainty, the Lifshitz family was informed of the positive identification of the body of Oded Lifshitz, who was abducted on October 7th, 2023, and returned on Thursday.
The family published a statement in which it expressed its pain: "We received with deep sorrow the official and bitter news confirming the identification of our beloved Oded's body. 503 agonizing days of uncertainty have come to an end. We had hoped and prayed so much for a different outcome."
The family added: "Now we can mourn the husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who has been missing from us since October 7. Our family's healing process will begin now and will not end until the last hostage is returned."
The Prime Minister's Office later stated that following the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, IDF representatives notified the Lifshitz family that their loved one, Oded Lifshitz, was murdered in Palestinian Islamic Jihad captivity and was returned for burial in Israel.
Director of the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute Chen Kugel stated: "We offer our deepest condolences to the Lifshitz family. Today 503 days after the October 7th Massacre, the body of Mr. Lifshitz who was murdered more than a year ago in captivity has been identified. Since October 7th, 2023, the team of the Israel National Center for Forensic Medicine has been dedicating itself to identifying all October 7th victims, thus providing closure for the families and proper burial. The employees of the Israel National Center for Forensic Medicine are continuing the identification efforts. This is a difficult moment for Mr. Lifshitz's family and the entire nation. On behalf of the team at the Israel National Center for Forensic Medicine, I offer sincere condolences to the family."
Oded, 84 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was abducted alongside his wife, Yocheved, from the kibbutz. Yocheved was released from captivity on October 23, 2023, for "humanitarian reasons. She testified that the two were held separately.
Oded was an Israeli journalist and activist. He worked for many years at the Al Hamishmar and Haaretz newspapers. He served in the IDF in the Nahal Brigade and fought in the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War, and the First Lebanon War.
