After 744 days of anguish, Israel finally welcomed home the body of Ronen (Tommy) Engel, a husband, father, and volunteer medic from Kibbutz Nir Oz who was brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 massacre.
The return came under the cover of darkness, without coordination or warning, when Hamas handed over two bodies through the Red Cross in Gaza. One of them was confirmed to be Engel. The identity of the second hostage is still being verified.
A Father Who Fought to the End
Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Engel was not a man who ran from danger. On the morning of October 7, when thousands of Hamas gunmen invaded Israeli communities along the border, Ronen grabbed his weapon and did what any father, any Israeli, would do, he went out to defend his family and his neighbors.
Moments later, he vanished.
His wife Karina and daughters Mika (18) and Yuval (11) were taken hostage, separated, and dragged into Gaza. For 52 agonizing days, they endured Hamas captivity, unaware that Ronen, the family’s protector, had already been murdered.
When they were finally freed as part of the first hostage deal in late November 2023, their reunion came with a devastating revelation: Ronen was gone. His body had been abducted and hidden in Gaza, denied the dignity of burial and his family the solace of closure.
When Hamas broke into the Engel family home on October 7, they abducted mother Karina and kids Mika & Yuval. The father Ronen was killed protecting them, & Hamas stole his body. Karina and the kids were returned in the first ransom. Ronen Engel was just returned in a coffin. pic.twitter.com/7tenRYhAxW
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) October 19, 2025
A Man of Light Amid the Darkness
Engel was known throughout Nir Oz and beyond as a volunteer photographer for Magen David Adom and a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast. His friends recall his easy smile and the tattoo on his arm that read:
“Always look on the bright side of life.”
That optimism, now immortalized in tragedy, became a symbol of Israeli resilience, the ability to look toward light even as evil seeks to snuff it out.
His home at Nir Oz, like so many others, was reduced to rubble during Hamas’s rampage. His son Tom, an IDF soldier stationed elsewhere that day and the only family member not captured, returned to a home riddled with bullet holes and silence.
Ronen’s brother Danny later shared the final WhatsApp message he received that morning, a brief, chilling line that has haunted him since:
“We’re hiding in the shelter.”
Heartbroken but relieved Ronen Engel is home - after 743 days in Hamas captivity. 💔
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) October 19, 2025
Ronen was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz. In Dec. 2023, it was confirmed Ronen was killed on October 7 and that his body was being held by Hamas.
His wife Karina and their… pic.twitter.com/BvSvE4iTLk
A Family’s Unbearable Wait Ends
Two years later, Karina spoke the words no mother should ever have to say.
“In what world does a 12-year-old girl wish for her father to be returned for burial?” she told Ynet last month.
Now, that wish, unthinkable in any normal world, has been granted. On Sunday, 744 days after the October 7 massacre, Ronen Engel will finally be laid to rest in Israeli soil.
Israel’s Vow: “We Will Bring Them All Home”
In a statement, the IDF confirmed:
“Ronen (Tommy) Engel was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, as he tried to defend his family. His body was abducted to Gaza. Engel, 54, was declared dead on December 1, 2023. He is survived by his wife, three children, and a brother.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed solidarity and sorrow:
“Alongside the pain and the knowledge that their hearts will never be whole, Ronen’s return brings a measure of comfort to a family that has lived with agonizing uncertainty for more than two years. We will not rest and we will not stop until the last hostage is brought home.”
The Prime Minister’s Office echoed that promise:
“The Government of Israel shares in the Engel family’s grief and that of all the families of the fallen hostages. Hamas must honor its commitments to the mediators and complete the return of all the hostages. We will not rest until the last one is home. May their memories be a blessing.”
The family of Ronen Engel wishes to share:
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 19, 2025
After 744 days of longing, doubt, and uncertainty - our beloved Ronen has returned home, to the soil of Nir Oz that he loved so deeply.
Now we can begin the healing process we so desperately need and have waited for so long. Now we… pic.twitter.com/LSAK4H9Tv3
A Nation Mourns and Remembers
As Israel lowers its flag in sorrow yet raises its spirit in defiance, the story of Ronen Engel stands as a national symbol of courage, loss, and the unbreakable will to bring every son and daughter home.
Hamas may have stolen his life, but it could not extinguish his legacy, a legacy written not only in tragedy, but in the light of a man who faced evil with the heart of a lion and the soul of a father.
