An Israeli organization of relatives of hostages announces the death of two captives in the hands of Hamas

The Israeli Forum of Hostage Families announced on Monday that two men held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas were killed during their captivity.

Yagev Buchstab, 35, and Alex Dancyg, 76, were kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, and their deaths are a “stark reminder of the urgency” of getting the hostages home, the Forum said in a statement.

No information was provided on how they died.

“Their bodies are in the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization," the Israeli military stressed in a separate statement.

“The circumstances of his death in captivity are being examined by all professional authorities,” he added.
Buchstab was abducted from his home on Kibbutz Nirim along with his wife Rimon Buchstab Kirsht, released after 50 days in captivity, the forum said.

Dancyg, who was born to Holocaust survivors, worked at Yad Vashem, the International Institute for Holocaust Remembrance, and trained thousands of guides, he added.

The hostages who were held captive with him reported that Dancyg spent his time in captivity giving history lectures to other captives, according to the forum.

"Yagev and Alex were taken alive and should have returned to their families and their country alive," he said.

“His death in captivity is a tragic reflection of the consequences of procrastination in negotiations," he said.

During the attack on October 7, Hamas militants kidnapped 251 hostages, of whom 116 are still in Gaza, including 44 who reportedly died.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians. Israel's retaliatory campaign claimed the lives of at least 39,006 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians.