Israeli officials have notified the families of Alexander Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtab that the two hostages were killed in Gaza several months ago, with their bodies now held by the Hamas terrorist organization. The decision to declare their deaths was based on recently corroborated intelligence, which confirmed their status late Sunday.
A special committee approved the determination, assessing that the men were killed in the Khan Younis area.
Authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances of their deaths, including the possibility that they may have been killed by Israeli forces.
Buchshtab, 35, from Nirim, was abducted along with his wife Rimon, who was later released in a hostage exchange. In March, Hamas announced that he had died in captivity, citing "hunger and lack of medication" as the cause. The accuracy of this claim, like many statements from Hamas, could not be independently verified at the time.
Rimon and Yagev were childhood friends who played in a high school band together. Both grew up in communities near the Gaza border, with Yagev born in Nirim and Rimon in Kibbutz Magen. The couple married about two years ago and shared a passion for music. Yagev was a guitar maker and player, while Rimon is a drummer.
The reinforced shelter from which they were taken served as Yagev's workshop for crafting guitars.
Danzig, from Nir Oz, was born to Holocaust survivors and played a key role in establishing educational trips to Poland. He trained numerous guides who accompanied groups visiting concentration camps. Sunday marked what would have been his 76th birthday.
"My dear and beloved father, today you turn 76. Two months have passed, and you've caught up with the age of our country. The country whose fields you breathed in every morning for over 50 years. The same country that for years neglected the security of you and the region you love so deeply," his son Yuval wrote.
"In October, returning from a meeting with the President of Poland, I was certain we'd be home and within days you'd be back too. It seemed inconceivable that civilians would remain in Hamas captivity; surely the world wouldn't allow it. But we were mistaken. Nine months have passed, and there's still no light," Yuval added. "The Olympics start in a few days. Who will I talk to about the obscure sports only you know? I'll miss hearing your commentary."
