The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Monday that they had received intelligence that Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtab died in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Dancyg, 75, and Buchstab, 35, were both “brutally abducted into Gaza [on Oct. 7] and their bodies are still being held by Hamas” and Israeli authorities are still probing “circumstances of their death[s],” the IDF tweeted. “We remain dedicated to gathering information about the hostages in Gaza and we will continue providing support to the families of hostages during this difficult time,” the IDF added. (RELATED: WaPo Backtracks After Giving Family Of American-Israeli Hostage A Tsk-Tsk Over Gaza Death Toll)
Today, the IDF informed the families of the two hostages Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtab that they are no longer alive.
Alex and Yagev were brutally abducted into Gaza and their bodies are still being held by Hamas. The confirmation of their deaths comes after thorough… pic.twitter.com/nufhHEgiL4
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2024
Dancyg was a peanut and potato farmer who also spent his life as a Holocaust educator, The Times of Israel reported. Dancyg was the son of Holocaust survivors born in Poland in 1948, the outlet noted. He was a guide at Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, and led a joint program for 120 Israeli and Polish schools to get together during Israel school trips to Poland to learn about the Holocaust, the outlet reported.
“Today, we deeply grieve the loss of our cherished and esteemed colleague, Alex Dancyg. Just yesterday, we marked Alex’s 76th birthday, filled with the hope that he would soon return to us alive and well. Alex’s essence embodied both in spirit and substance, his love for the land and thirst for knowledge,” Dani Dayan, the Chairman of Yad Vashem, said, The Times of Israel reported.
“This morning’s devastating news about their deaths serves as yet another stark reminder of the urgency to bring home the hostages, who face immediate mortal danger every moment in Hamas’s hell,” The Hostages Families Forum tweeted.
The Hostages Families Forum mourns the deaths of Yagev Buchshtab and Alex Dancyg in Hamas captivity.
We extend our deepest condolences to the Buchshtab and Dancyg families.
This morning’s devastating news about their deaths serves as yet another stark reminder of the urgency… pic.twitter.com/nd0odOZKSd
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) July 22, 2024
Hamas in March claimed Buchshtav died from lack of food and medication, the outlet reported. The terror organization also alleged Dancyg died from an IDF military operation, the outlet noted. The IDF has not commented on these claims, the outlet reported.
The IDF confirmed that 44 out of the remaining 116 hostages have died in captivity during the course of the Israel-Hamas war, the outlet reported.
