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Presumed hostage murdered on Oct. 7th, body held in Gaza

Lior Rudaeff, 61, was an Argentinean-born member of Kibbutz Nir Itzhak.

By World Israel News Staff

A man presumed to have been taken hostage and held in Gaza was confirmed to have been murdered on October 7th and his body kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, the Hostage Families Forum announced in a media statement on Tuesday evening.

Lior Rudaeff, 61, was an Argentinean-born member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak and a member of the community’s emergency preparedness squad. On the morning of the unprecedented terror onslaught, he had attempted to defend his community from the terrorists.

Rudaeff had sent a message to his family confirming that he had been shot and wounded, before contact with him was lost.

For the last seven months, it was unclear if Rudaeff had survived, and was being held captive, or whether he had been killed.

“The Hostages Families Forum mourns the murder of Lior Rudaeff. May his memory be a blessing. We share in the profound grief of the Rudaeff family,” read a statement from the group.

The forum added that it “bows its head in sorrow and with a broken heart,” vowing to “continue providing assistance and support to Lior’s family during this immensely difficult time until his body is returned to Israel for a proper burial.”

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A statement from Kibbutz Nir Itzhak described Rudaeff as a “generous man with a huge heart for all those around him.” According to the community, he had “volunteered as an ambulance driver in the Eshkol Regional Council” for many years, “always volunteering first and lending a hand to all.”

Rudaeff was married to his wife Yaffa for nearly 40 years. Shortly before the announcement of his death, she posted on Facebook about how much she missed her husband.

“We miss your energy, we miss family get togethers because nothing is the same without you. My beloved husband, hang on, we aren’t losing hope for a moment, and we will continue to fight until you come home,” she wrote.

Rudaeff is survived by his wife, four children, and two grandchildren.