Elyakim Libman: Remains of man thought to be Hamas hostage found in Israel

One of the hostages thought to have been abducted by Hamas on 7 October has been declared dead after his body was found in Israel, the Israel Defense Forces have confirmed.

The IDF said Elyakim Libman's remains were identified through a "thorough and complex investigation".

Libman was working as a security guard at the Nova festival at the time of the attack.

His family said he stayed behind for hours treating other wounded people.

In its statement, the IDF said that on Friday, the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Ministry of Health had notified Libman's family that he was "murdered in the October 7th massacre" led by Hamas.

It goes on to say that the remains were identified through "a thorough and complex investigation conducted by the IDF, Israel Police, and the National Institute of Forensic Medicine".

Israeli media reports said his remains had been buried alongside another festival victim in error.

In a Facebook post around the time of the attack, Libman's father Eliyahu said another guard told him his son had helped rescue others before trying to escape. He was last seen trying to help two badly-injured women.

About 1,200 people were killed during the 7 October attack. More than 360 of those killed were attending the festival.

About 130 hostages from more than 250 kidnapped by Hamas during its unprecedented attack remain unaccounted for. At least 34 of them are presumed dead. The rest have been released or rescued.

More than 34,600 people have been killed in the subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.