Who Is Hannah Katzir? Elderly Israeli Hostage Reported Dead

The armed branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has reported the death of elderly Israeli hostage Hannah Katzir, who was captured during the October 7 attacks.

Al-Quds Brigades fighters are separate from Hamas, but allied to the group and claimed to have taken up to 30 people hostage alongside the estimated 240 kidnapped by Hamas.

On October 7, thousands of Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack from Gaza into southern Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, predominantly civilians, and kidnapping around 240 more. More than 12,700 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, according to The Associated Press on Saturday morning.

Islamic Jihad blamed Israel for Katzir's death and wrote on Telegram in messages translated by Reuters: "We previously expressed our willingness to release her for humanitarian reasons, but the enemy was stalling and this led to her death."

Reports of Hannah's death come amid an announcement by Hamas and Israel that 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group are to be released, later confirmed in a statement by President Joe Biden.

Turkish state-run news outlet Anadolu Agency quoted a statement from Islamic Jihad that said: "We announce the death of settler Hannah Katzir, whom we had previously expressed our willingness to release for humanitarian reasons. But the procrastination of the enemy led to the loss of her life.

"In light of this announcement, we renew our affirmation of renouncing our responsibility towards our enemy prisoners in light of the barbaric and frenzied bombing of every inch of the Gaza Strip."

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces did not immediately respond to questions about claims that Katzir had been killed when approached by Newsweek on Wednesday.

The 77-year-old was taken from her home at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where 38 people were killed and another 75 abducted, including 86-year-old Arye Zalmanovich who Hamas said had died from a heart attack last week.

Officials from the Al-Quds Brigades previously claimed they were prepared to release Katzir for humanitarian reasons on November 9, Israeli outlets reported.

Katzir was a mother of three and a grandmother of six and born into a family of Holocaust survivors, according to a tribute on Twitter, formerly X, written by Avraham Berkowitz, the president of nonprofit guidance company AZ Advisors.

Hamas killed Katzir's husband Avraham "Rami" Katzir during the attacks, The Times of Israel reported. The pair had been married for 55 years and were among the founders of the kibbutz.

The publication also identified Katzir's son, Elad Katzir, as another of the people taken hostage. He was reportedly taken alongside his mother and told his sister, Carmit, in a phone call that fighters had entered his home.

A video released by Islamic Jihad before her reported death showed Katzir in a wheelchair reading out a statement. She said she loved her family and wished everyone well.