Israeli forces recover body of Aviv Atzili from Gaza Strip

IDF and Shin Bet announce Kibbutz Nir Oz emergency response team member, killed on Oct. 7, was recovered in Khan Yunis with the body of Yair Yaakov in an operation announced last week.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Sunday the recovery of Aviv Atzili’s body during a special operation in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, last week.

Atzili, 49, was kidnapped by terrorists on October 7 and killed while defending Kibbutz Nir Oz as a member of the community’s emergency response team during the Hamas-led massacre.

Last week’s operation, which also recovered the remains of fellow hostage Yair (Yaya) Yaakov, was made possible through intelligence gathered from the interrogation of a captured Hamas operative.

The IDF said the 36th Division carried out the mission under Southern Command, supported by the Hostage Task Force, Military Intelligence Directorate and the Shin Bet.

Atzili was initially declared abducted until early December 2023, when his family was informed he had been killed.

His wife, Liat Beinin Atzili, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was freed from Hamas captivity in the November 2023 ceasefire deal.

Liat’s story was later featured in a documentary, in which she recalled returning home without knowing her husband’s fate: “Twelve hours after I got back, the message about Aviv arrived. I had a feeling—when someone close to you is gone, you feel it.”

A father of three, Atzili was a key figure in his community.

He managed the kibbutz’s agricultural equipment garage, was known as a nature lover and artist, and volunteered annually with the IDF’s alpine unit on Mount Hermon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences to the Atzili family, calling Aviv “a hero who went out to defend his kibbutz and fell in battle against the murderers.”

He pledged, “We will not rest until we bring home all of our hostages — both the living and the dead.”

According to the IDF, Atzili’s body was taken to Gaza by members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The announcement brings the number of hostages still held in Gaza to 53, with at least 20 believed to be alive.