Hostage Remains Returned on Thursday Identified as 73-Year-Old Meny Godard Who Was Murdered on Oct 7
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced late Thursday that the remains of 73-year-old Meny Godard were brought back from Gaza more than two years after he was killed in Kibbutz Be’eri. The transfer followed an examination at the national forensic institute, where specialists confirmed the identity of the remains.
Godard and his wife Ayelet were murdered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen stormed the kibbutz. The terrorists seized his body and transported it into Gaza. The couple left behind four children — Mor, Gal, Bar, and Goni — along with seven grandchildren and several siblings. The IDF had determined in December 2023 that Godard had been killed during the initial assault.
Hamas had notified mediators on Thursday that it intended to release the body of one of the remaining deceased hostages as part of the ongoing exchange framework. According to Israeli authorities, the Red Cross received the remains around 8:30 p.m. and handed them over to IDF personnel stationed inside the Strip. From there, the body was escorted to Israel and transferred for examination.
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With Godard now returned, Israel says three slain hostages remain in Gaza: Ran Gvili, Dror Or, and Sudthisak Rinthalak. Their bodies are still being held despite repeated appeals from relatives and ongoing discussions tied to the broader prisoner-exchange arrangement.
In a statement Thursday night, the Prime Minister’s Office conveyed condolences to Godard’s relatives and to the families of all hostages who have been confirmed killed. The government, the statement said, “shares the profound grief of the Godard family and of every family mourning a loved one.”
The PMO added that Israel continues to press for the return of the remaining bodies and that efforts to fulfill that goal are ongoing. It said authorities are “committed and working around the clock” to bring the last three slain hostages home for burial and stressed that Hamas “must carry out the obligations it accepted with the mediators” under the terms of the agreement.
A funeral was held for Ayelet and Meny Godard at kibbutz Be’eri. A eulogy posted on the kibbutz’s website said Meny Godard was known for his passion for athletics, the sea, and those around him. In the 1970s, he played soccer professionally before joining the army and serving in the Yom Kippur War.
