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The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Thursday evening that an identification process of deceased hostage Meny Godard, whose body was returned to Israel from the Gaza Strip, has been completed.
IDF representatives informed his family after his identity was confirmed at the National Center of Forensic Medicine, in coordination with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate.
Godard from Kibbutz Be’eri grew up on the beach alongside his father, Yaakov, who worked as a lifeguard. Meny later followed in his footsteps and became a lifeguard himself. He arrived at Kibbutz Be’eri at the age of 14, following his sister Shmuelah.
In the army, he served in the Armored Corps reconnaissance unit and fought in the Yom Kippur War. Meny’s family describes him as a generous man, endlessly kind, and a devoted supporter of Hapoel Tel Aviv. Throughout his life he held many roles in the kibbutz, including managing the community pool for many years.
Of all his accomplishments, he always regarded his family as his greatest. Meny was a devoted father to his four children, and a proud, loving grandfather to his grandchildren.
On the morning of October 7, Meny hid in the safe room of his home in Kibbutz Beeri with his wife, Ayelet. The two fled after their house was set on fire, but the terrorists ambushed them outside. Meny was murdered and taken into Gaza, while Ayelet hid in the bushes for several hours before she was also murdered.
Meny is survived by his children Gal, Bar, Mor, and Goni, and by his seven grandchildren.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement, “The families of the hostages and the returned are embracing the family of Meny Godard at this time, as their beloved Meny of blessed memory was returned to Israel tonight for proper burial.”
“Alongside the grief and the understanding that their hearts will never be whole, Meny’s return provides some measure of comfort to a family that has lived with agonizing uncertainty and doubt for over two years.”
“We will not rest until the last hostage is brought home.”
Israel announced earlier on Thursday that it has received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a deceased hostage, which was handed over to an IDF and ISA force inside the Gaza Strip. From there, it was transferred to Israel, where it was received in a military ceremony with the participation of the IDF Chief Rabbi.
It was then transferred to the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine.
The Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terror organizations on Thursday afternoon announced that they will return the body of a deceased hostage at 8:00 p.m..
The statement noted that the hostage’s body was located in the Morag area, north of Khan Yunis.
Currently, the bodies of three deceased hostages are being held by terrorist organizations in Gaza: Dror Or, Ran Gvili, and Sudthisak Rinthalak.
On Wednesday,Kan 11 News quoted officials familiar with the matter as saying that Hamas holds full information on all four whose bodies remain in the Gaza Strip.
According to the sources, this information is not exclusive to bodies of hostages held by Hamas and also includes details regarding hostages held by the Islamic Jihad organization.
The officials stressed the need to intensify diplomatic and security pressure on Hamas to secure the return of all four deceased hostages, emphasizing that partial agreements or compromises are unacceptable. “They must all be brought back – down to the very last one.”
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