Key points: The IDF said the remains of 61-year-old Lior Rudaeff have been returned after 763 days; his death was confirmed on May 7, 2024. Rudaeff, a long-time volunteer ambulance driver and member of the Nir Yitzhak emergency team, is reported to have fought near the kibbutz gate during the Oct. 7 attacks. He is survived by his wife and four children. The IDF urged Hamas to honor the ceasefire agreement and facilitate the return of the remaining hostages for dignified burials.
Remains of Israeli Hostage Lior Rudaeff Returned After 763 Days; IDF Says He Fought to Defend Kibbutz on Oct. 7
Key points: The IDF said the remains of 61-year-old Lior Rudaeff have been returned after 763 days; his death was confirmed on May 7, 2024. Rudaeff, a long-time volunteer ambulance driver and member of the Nir Yitzhak emergency team, is reported to have fought near the kibbutz gate during the Oct. 7 attacks. He is survived by his wife and four children. The IDF urged Hamas to honor the ceasefire agreement and facilitate the return of the remaining hostages for dignified burials.
05:41, 09.11.2025Conflict
Remains of Lior Rudaeff returned after 763 days
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the remains of 61-year-old Lior Rudaeff, who was taken captive after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, have been returned for burial.
The military said Rudaeff "fell during battle while defending his community during the Oct. 7 Massacre" and was subsequently taken captive by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. The IDF confirmed his death on May 7, 2024. He is survived by his wife and four children.
"Lior is brought home after 763 days," said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
According to the forum, Rudaeff served on the emergency response team of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak and fought near the kibbutz gate on the morning of Oct. 7, helping to stop attackers during what witnesses described as a fierce battle. His body was taken to Gaza after the clash. The forum also said Rudaeff was born in Argentina and immigrated to Israel at age seven.
Friends and colleagues remembered him as generous and committed. For about 40 years he volunteered as an ambulance driver in the Eshkol Regional Council and as a member of the Nir Yitzhak emergency response team, the forum said: "He always volunteered first and extended a helping hand to everyone."
The IDF expressed condolences to Rudaeff's family and said it continues to press for the return of all deceased hostages. The military referred to the ongoing ceasefire and hostage-release arrangement and said Hamas must fulfill its obligations under the deal and take the steps necessary to return all hostages for a dignified burial.
As of the most recent update, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said five bodies of deceased hostages remain in the Gaza Strip. This return follows months of negotiations and partial releases under a temporary truce between Israeli forces and Hamas-affiliated groups.