Ravid Katz, a resident of a Gaza frontier town, went missing on October 7th, along with his sister and nieces.
By World Israel News Staff
An Israeli man who went missing following the Gaza invasion of Israel on October 7th has been confirmed dead, relatives said Tuesday.
Fifty-one-year-old Ravid Katz, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz in the Gaza frontier area, was last seen as he left his home to respond to the terrorist attack on the kibbutz.
Katz had been a member of Nir Oz’s emergency response team, and had been called up when terrorists overran the town on the morning of October 7th.
During the invasion, Katz’s sister, Doron Katz-Asher, and her daughters Raz, 5, and Aviv, 2, also disappeared.
While Doron, Raz, and Aviv were later found to have been taken captive by Hamas in Gaza, for over a month and a half, there was no confirmation of Katz either being in captivity or having been murdered in the invasion.
On Tuesday, however, Katz’s family announced that they have now been notified that his remains were identified, confirming that he was murdered by Gaza terrorists on October 7th.
“Yesterday, we were informed that Ravid Katz did not survive the events of October 7th,” the statement issued by the family reads.
“Ravid lived in Kibbutz Nir Oz, was a man of education, of the beautiful Land of Israel, a wonderful father to Shahar, Shira, and little Alma who is six months old, and a partner to Revital. We will always remember him.”
Katz’s sister, Doron, and his nieces Raz and Aviv were recently returned to Israel, as part of the hostage release agreement.