Meny Godard Identified as Body Returned for Burial Two Years After His Murder on October 7

Meny Godard, a 73-year-old resident of Kibbutz Be’eri who was murdered and abducted by Hamas on October 7, was returned to Israel on Thursday night for burial, more than two years after he was taken into Gaza. His wife, Ayelet, was also killed during the attack on their home.With his return, three abducted casualties are still in Gaza: Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, Dror Or, and Thai citizen Sudthisak Rinthalak.

Godard was a well-known figure in Kibbutz Be’eri, remembered as the leading scorer for Hapoel Be’eri and later the coach of its youth squad. He was also a father, grandfather, and longtime kibbutz member who worked in a range of community roles.

His daughter Bar had previously said that during the war the IDF attempted a mission to rescue him. “The officer assigned to our family told us about a daring operation and brave soldiers who tried to rescue Dad, but they could not,” she said. “In the end he told us, ‘I am so sorry.’”

Last week, his daughter Mor spoke about preparing for his funeral. “I have planned it about 70 times,” she said. “The return is a sad return. It puts the final seal on the tragedy that happened to us, but we have to reach this end. The wait for the knock on the door is unbearable. We need to know this chapter is over.”

Godard’s body was transferred inside the Strip by the Red Cross from Hamas to Israeli troops, where a brief ceremony was held by a military rabbi. Police then escorted the casket to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification. Crowds lined roads with Israeli and yellow flags as the convoy passed.

On Friday evening, the family issued a statement: “Dad has been returned. Not home, and not in the way we would have wanted. His return is a sad one — it is the final confirmation of the tragedy that happened to us — but we had to reach this resolution.” They thanked “all the people of Israel who stood by us — the Hostages Families Forum, the IDF, the Prisoner and Missing Persons Directorate, and all the security forces..There are still three families trapped in this nightmare… As Dad said, ‘It’s not over until it’s over.’”

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed the body was found earlier on Thursday in the Khan Younis area. Footage aired by Al Jazeera showed heavy equipment digging through rubble before masked gunmen unearthed white plastic sheeting containing the body.

“The Israeli government shares in the deep sorrow of the Godard family and of all the families of the fallen hostages,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, adding that Israel is “determined, committed, and working tirelessly” to bring back the remaining slain hostages for burial.

The Godards were attacked after fleeing their burning home on October 7. Meny was shot outside; Ayelet hid in nearby bushes and called one of their children before being killed. A funeral for the couple was first held on October 29, 2023, before it became known that Meny’s body had been taken into Gaza.

Their son Goni later wrote that his parents were “people with a special heart of gold… people who spread light in every direction.” Mor wrote of the darkness left behind and of her parents’ role as the family’s “anchor,” adding, “Mom and Dad… you raised us. We are strong, we are together… just like you taught us.”