The body of hostage Aviv Atzili was retrieved from the area of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip last week, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Sunday evening.

The IDF is still operating in the Khan Yunis area. Along with Atzili, special forces retrieved the body of hostage Yair Yaakov on Wednesday. The information that made the operation possible came from the interrogation of a Hamas terrorist by security forces.

Atzili, 49, was part of the emergency standby squad of Kibbutz Nir Oz. He went out to fight the infiltrating Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.

Liat Beinin Atzili, 49 (credit: Bring Them Home Now)
Liat Beinin Atzili, 49 (credit: Bring Them Home Now)
He was first classified as a hostage, until December 2023, when his family was informed that he was killed on October 7 - just one day after his wife, Liat, was freed in the November 2023 hostage and ceasefire deal.

Aviv was a pillar of his community

They were a family of five, with children Ofri, Netta and Aya. Aviv was one of the pillars of the Nir Oz community, and managed the agricultural equipment site on the kibbutz.

He liked to draw, ride his bike, and loved people and the land.