Tel Aviv (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Israel’s military has identified the body of Eliyahu “Churchill” Margalit, a hostage handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross in Gaza late on Friday.
Under the ceasefire deal brokered by Donald Trump, reached with Hamas last week, Israel and Hamas agreed to transfer the bodies of hostages and an exchange of prisoners. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated in a statement that it would
“spare no effort until we return all of the fallen abductees, down to the last one”.
Who was Eliyahu “Churchill” Margalit, and how was he found?
As reported by BBC News, the Israel Defence Forces reported that the 75-year-old was slain at Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7, 2023, during Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, and his body was then taken into the Gaza Strip. His demise was confirmed in December 2023. His daughter, Nili Margalit, was also kidnapped and then released as part of a deal in November 2023.
לאחר השלמת הליך הזיהוי על ידי המרכז הלאומי לרפואה משפטית בשיתוף משטרת ישראל והרבנות הצבאית, נציגי צה״ל הודיעו למשפחת החטוף אליהו מרגלית (צ׳רצ׳יל) כי יקירם הושב לקבורה.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 18, 2025
על פי המידע והמודיעין העומד לרשותנו, אליהו מרגלית ז״ל נרצח על ידי ארגון הטרור חמאס ב-7 באוקטובר 2023 וגופתו… pic.twitter.com/v4cBXUEe7g
The IDF stated that it notified Margalit’s family once his remains were transferred to the Ministry of Health’s National Centre for Forensic Medicine in Israel.
How many hostage bodies have been exchanged so far?
According to reports, this was the 10th dead body of hostages Israel has received out of 28 bodies kept in Gaza, amidst a dispute over delays in returning remains under the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
Israel has handed over the bodies of 90 Palestinians in Gaza for burial. Under the US-mediated ceasefire agreement, Israel also released 250 Palestinian prisoners from its jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. Israel is expected to return additional bodies, though officials haven’t specified how many are in their custody or how many will be returned.
Why is there a delay in returning hostage remains?
Israel, asserting that Hamas knows where the hostages’ bodies are, has warned that the group is running out of time. Meanwhile, Hamas stated that due to technical difficulties, it required heavy machinery and excavation equipment to expedite the search for bodies buried under the rubble.
On Friday, two bulldozers excavated the ground as Hamas looked for remains of hostages in Hamad city, a complex of apartment towers in Khan Younis. During the war, Israeli forces repeatedly bombed the towers, causing some to topple, and conducted a week-long raid there in March 2024.
What role is Turkey playing in body recovery efforts?
Turkey dispatched a team of experts to recover remains buried beneath the rubble, but as of Friday, they were still awaiting Israeli permission to access the area.
“It remains unclear when Israel will allow the Turkish team to enter Gaza,”
a Turkish official briefed reporters, citing that the team’s task included discovering Palestinian and hostage remains.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed concern over Israel’s comments regarding the hostage victims during a news conference in Ankara.
“Will Israel use Hamas’ incapability to locate bodies left under rubble … as an excuse and break the ceasefire? There is concern in the international community over this,”
he stated.
