Jerusalem, 19 October, 2025 (TPS-IL) — One of the bodies returned to Israel overnight was identified as Ronen Engel, Kibbutz Nir Oz announced on Sunday morning.
Engel was killed while “protecting his family and fighting terrorists” during the October 7 attack, the kibbutz said.
Engel, a volunteer photographer for Magen David Adom and motorcycle enthusiast, tried to defend his family when terrorists broke into their home and was taken hostage. His wife, Karina, and their daughters, Mika and Yuval, were also abducted separately. In early December 2023 — four days after his wife and daughters were freed in a hostage deal — the family learned that Engel had been murdered while in Hamas captivity.
The remains of a second hostage are being examined the National Center for Forensic Medicine.