Identities of the dead hostages returned to Israel are revealed – including hero who saved his friends by catching a grenade and Nova festival captive who died from his injuries in Gaza

The Israeli military has said the bodies of four hostages returned by Hamas have been identified, including one of a hero who saved his friends by catching a grenade. 

In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces named two of the victims as 26-year-old Israeli national Guy Iluz and 22-year-old Nepalese agriculture student Bipin Joshi.

The names of the other two hostages have not been released at the request of their families. 

Joshi, who had arrived in Israel three weeks before the attack as part of a Nepalese agricultural training program, was abducted from Kibbutz Alumim. 

He was abducted from Kibbutz Alumim and was photographed sheltering with Thai workers shortly before militants reached the area.

‘It is assessed that he was murdered in captivity during the first months of the war,’ the military said.

Joshi’s Nepalese friend Himanchal Kattel, the group’s only survivor, said the attackers had thrown a grenade into the shelter, which Joshi caught and threw away before it exploded, saving Kattel’s life.

Iluz had been attending the Nova music festival when Hamas-led militants launched their deadly assault on October 7, 2023. 

He reportedly tried to flee the site in a jeep before hiding in a tree, from where he made his final contact with his parents before being captured and taken into Gaza.

The military said Iluz was injured and abducted alive, but later died of his wounds due to a lack of medical treatment while in captivity. 

It did not specify when he died, though his death was announced in December 2023. Iluz had worked as a sound technician for several well-known Israeli musicians. 

‘The return of Guy and Bipin… brings some measure of comfort to families who have lived with agonising uncertainty and doubt for over two years,’ said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main Israeli group campaigning for the release of all hostages.

‘We will not rest until all 24 hostages are brought home,’ it said in a statement. The group called on the government to ‘take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice’.

It said: ‘The mediators must enforce the agreement’s terms and ensure Hamas pays a price for this violation.’

The four bodies were returned by Hamas on Monday, following the release of all 20 surviving captives as part of a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Palestinian militants are still holding the bodies of 24 hostages, which are expected to be returned under the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

It comes after it was reported that the bereaved families of the deceased who were not returned have been left outraged. 

According to reports, some families who were expecting a reunion with their loved ones yesterday were informed that they had actually been killed. 

Hamas’ failure to return the bodies has left critics wondering if Donald Trump’s peace deal could already be on the verge of collapse. 

One of the stipulations of the 20-point peace plan was that all hostages, living or deceased, would have to be released within 72 hours of Israel publicly agreeing to the deal. 

The IDF has said that ‘Hamas is required to abide by the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the bodies’. 

So far, Hamas has not provided a reason why all the bodies have not been returned. 

Israel has now said Hamas has until the end of Tuesday to return the remaining dead hostages.