Hamas terrorists allegedly tortured an Israeli hostage to death after mistaking him for a pilot due to a tattoo on his arm, believing he held valuable intelligence, Israeli officials revealed.
Dani Elgarat, the brother of 68-year-old Itzik Elgarat, shared the heartbreaking details during a Knesset House Committee meeting Monday. He said Israeli intelligence disclosed the information to the family a day earlier, according to The Times of Israel.
Itzik was wounded and kidnapped from his safe room in the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7, 2023, during Hamas’ brutal assault on southern Israel that left 1,200 people dead and 250 taken hostage. His remains were returned to Israel in February during a temporary ceasefire.
While in captivity, Itzik was held alongside U.S.-Israeli IDF soldier Edan Alexander, who was later released. Hamas allegedly noticed an eagle tattoo on Itzik’s arm and assumed he was an Israeli Air Force pilot.
“They took him for interrogation and he never came back,” Dani Elgarat told lawmakers. He said guards later told Alexander, “He has gone.”
“Itzik died, was murdered. He suffered a heart attack during interrogation under torture,” Dani said, blaming Hamas for his brother’s death.
At Itzik’s funeral, Dani Elgarat publicly blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his brother’s death, saying, “Today you’re being laid to rest in a grave dug for you by the prime minister himself.”
Security later removed Elgarat from the funeral after he accused Netanyahu of funding Hamas, prompting some lawmakers to allege he was provoking unrest.