Israeli forces have recovered the body of Aviv Atzili, a hostage taken by Hamas on October 7, during a special operation last Wednesday in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, the IDF and Shin Bet announced Sunday. The operation also brought back the body of another hostage, Yair (Yaya) Yaakov.
Atzili, 49, a member of the alert squad in Kibbutz Nir Oz, joined the fight against Hamas terrorists who infiltrated the community. He was initially listed as abducted until early December, when his family was informed he had been killed during the October 7 attack—just one day after his wife, Liat, was freed from Hamas captivity in a prisoner exchange, following 54 days in captivity.
The couple had three children: Ofri, Neta and Aya. A central figure in his community, Atzili ran the kibbutz’s agricultural equipment garage, and was known as an artist, cyclist, nature lover and longtime volunteer in Israel’s alpine unit, where he served each year on Mount Hermon.
Liat Atzili's time in captivity was the focus of a recent documentary. In an interview with Ynet, she reflected on the moment she returned home, recalling how she initially couldn’t process the loss. “I remember saying, ‘I don’t want to talk about Aviv now, let’s wait until the morning,’” she said. “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.”
The recovery operation was made possible by intelligence obtained during the interrogation of a captured Hamas operative. According to a joint statement from the IDF and Shin Bet, the operation was carried out by the 36th Division under Southern Command, with precise intelligence from the Hostage Task Force, Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet.