Hostage Forum Announces Two Hamas Captives Killed

They are Yagev Buchshtab, 35, and Alex Dancyg, 76, who were kidnapped during the Hamas attack on October 7 in Israel.

The Hostages Forum, an Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, announced Monday, July 22, that two Hamas captives have been killed in the Palestinian territory. Yagev Buchshtab, 35, and Alex Dancyg, 76, were abducted in the October 7 attack in Israel, and their deaths are a “severe reminder of the emergency” to release the hostages so they can return home, the forum said in a statement.

Yagev Buchshtab was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nirim along with his wife Rimon Buchshtab-Kirsht, who was released after 50 days in captivity, the same source said. Alex Dancyg, born to Holocaust survivors, worked at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem where he trained thousands of guides, the forum added.

Hostages held with him said that Alex Dancyg spent his time giving history lessons to his fellow prisoners, according to the same source.

“Yagev and Alex were captured alive and should have returned alive to their families in their country. Their deaths in captivity are a tragic reflection of the consequences of the slow pace of negotiations.” for the release of the hostages, he added, referring to the ceasefire talks that have been going on for months.

The war was triggered on October 7 by an unprecedented attack in southern Israel by Hamas commandos infiltrated from Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data.

Of the 251 people abducted, 116 are still being held in Gaza, 42 of whom are dead, according to the army.