Only Israeli Still Missing From Oct. 7 Attack Is Declared Dead

Bilha Yinon, 75, died in a strike on her home
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 7, 2024 1:55 PM CDT
Last Israeli Who Went Missing on Oct. 7 Is Declared Dead
Destroyed property is seen at Kibbutz Netiv Haasara near the border with the Gaza Strip, Israel, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023.   (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Ten months on, only one name remained on the list of people missing after the Hamas attack on Israel. That list is now empty. The BBC reports the death of Bilha Yinon, 75, had long been suspected but not confirmed. The home she and her husband shared in Netiv Haasara burned to the ground on Oct. 7. It was known both had been in the house: One of the couple's daughters confirmed her father messaged her to say he and Bilha were in a safe room but that rockets and shooting were audible.

Minutes later the house suffered a direct hit and burned to the ground. While husband Yaakov's remains were found, Bilha's were not. The Times of Israel reports it was not thought that she was among Hamas' hostages as no other kidnappings occurred in Netiv Haasara. The Israel Defense Forces says that "after complex testing" of evidence in the area of the house, it has now determined Bilha was killed. The Jerusalem Post reports the finding was made by a Health Ministry committee of experts made up of members of the IDF investigative team, the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel police, and the Chief Rabbi of Israel. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)

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