War between Israel and Hamas: French hostage Elia Toledano dies

French hostage Elia Toledano, captured by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and forcibly taken to the Gaza Strip, has died, a relative of his family told Le Parisien on Thursday. The information was confirmed on Friday by the Israeli army on X, which also indicated that it was able to recover and repatriate the body of a young man during a military operation in the Gaza Strip.

The 28-year-old was kidnapped while attending the Nova Tribe festival, where he went with his best friend Mia Shem, another French-Israeli hostage released on November 30. According to Daniel Toledano, the victim’s brother, after returning to Israel, the latter “cried every time we talked about him.”

Passionate about music

Lawyer Sasha Gozlan, who is defending the families of the French hostages, reminded AFP that there had been no “evidence of Eliya’s life” since his disappearance.

Passionate about music, Elia Toledano worked at various events, including organizing weddings and bar mitzvahs, her brother told Le Parisien. His funeral is expected to take place on Friday.

It is believed that three French hostages are still being held hostage in the Gaza Strip. These are Ofer Calderon (53 years old), the father of former hostages Erez (12 years old) and Sahar (16 years old), Ohad Yahalomi (49 years old), the father of a former captive. Eitan (12 years old) and Orion Hernandez Radu (32 years old).