Kibbutz Kissufim on Tuesday announced the death in Hamas captivity of hostage Shlomo Mansour, 86.
Mansour was abducted from his home during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
The kibbutz described his death as a profound loss, calling him the “beating heart of Kissufim.”
Details on when or how he was killed remain unclear. Mansour was to have been among the 33 hostages released by Hamas during the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. However, according to Israel, while the hostage list provided by the terrorist group indicated that eight of the 33 were already deceased, it did not identify them.
Mansour, who was the oldest hostage in Hamas captivity, was born in Iraq in 1938 and is recognized as a Holocaust survivor. When he was three years old, he experienced the 1941 Farhud massacre in Baghdad, during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
“This is one of the most difficult days in the history of our kibbutz. Shlomo was much more than a community member to us—he was a father, a grandfather, a true friend and the beating heart of Kissufim,” the kibbutz said.
“His smile, modesty and human warmth were an inspiration to us all. Our hearts are broken that we were unable to bring him back to us alive. The entire community grieves his loss and is united in grief and pain.”