“We had hoped and prayed so much for a different outcome,” said the statement.

By JNS

One of the bodies handed over by Hamas on Thursday morning has been identified as belonging to hostage Oded Lifshitz, his family said following identification at Tel Aviv’s Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.

“We received with deep sorrow the official and bitter news confirming the identification of our beloved Oded’s body,” Lifshitz’s relatives said in a statement shared by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of many of the captives held in the Gaza Strip.

“503 agonizing days of uncertainty have come to an end. We had hoped and prayed so much for a different outcome. Now we can mourn the husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who has been missing from us since October 7,” the bereaved family continued.

“Our family’s healing process will begin now and will not end until the last hostage is returned,” concluded the statement.

This is a developing story.