In a somber development the IDF and the Shin Bet security agency announced that they have recovered partial remains of 75-year-old hostage Menachem “Meny” Godard from the Gaza Strip.

Godard, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, was abducted from his home and murdered by Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists during the brutal assault that claimed the lives of over 1,200 people across southern Israel.

According to Kan News, the remains were discovered earlier near a Palestinian Islamic Jihad outpost in Rafah by elite IDF units, including soldiers from the Yahalom combat engineering unit and the Golani Reconnaissance Unit. The remains were retrieved in a targeted, high-risk operation and subsequently transferred for forensic analysis.

News of the grim discovery surfaced publicly on Saturday evening, after Godard’s daughter, Bar, delivered an emotional address at Hostages’ Square in Tel Aviv. During her speech, she revealed that the IDF had recently informed the family of a failed attempt to recover her father’s body in Gaza.

“The family demands that no soldier be sent to risk his life in order to recover our father’s body,” she said, a plea that resonated deeply with the crowd and the broader Israeli public still reeling from the horrors of October 7.

A retired French-Israeli economist and beloved grandfather of six, Meny Godard had moved to Israel decades ago. He was known for his sharp mind, warm heart, and commitment to peace. On that dark morning last fall, his life was cut short when terrorists stormed his kibbutz. His was taken into Gaza, where he remained until this week’s recovery operation brought some measure of closure to his grieving family.

The return of his remains, even in part, serves as both a painful reminder of the lives still held hostage in Gaza and a testament to the IDF’s continuing efforts to bring every captive and victim home.