The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, expressed deep sorrow on Sunday over the death of Idan Shtivi, a 28-year-old Portuguese-Israeli, offering condolences to his family. Shtivi had been held hostage by Hamas since the attacks on October 7, 2023.
“The President of the Republic expresses his heartfelt condolences upon the family’s reception of Idan Shtivi’s body, who was a hostage of the terrorist group Hamas and died in captivity. He extends his sympathies to the family, the Israeli people, and Israel,” read a statement on the website of the Presidency of the Republic.
Yesterday, the Israeli government announced the identification of the remains of a second hostage recently recovered from Gaza, identifying the individual as Idan Shtivi.
“A special operation (…) in the Gaza Strip enabled the repatriation of the body of the deceased Idan Shtivi,” stated the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also mentioned on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that “the body of Idan Shtivi, held hostage for 693 days in Gaza, was recovered in a joint operation by the IDF and the Internal Security Agency (ISA), along with the remains of Ilan Weiss.”
Israeli authorities noted that the 28-year-old was “murdered and abducted by Hamas terrorists in the Tel Gama area, southern Israel.”
“Before his death, he acted heroically to help evacuate and save many others attending the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. May his memory be a blessing,” they emphasized.
On Friday, the Israeli army had already announced the repatriation of the remains of two hostages, of which only one was initially identified. That hostage was identified as Ilan Weiss, 56, who was killed during the attack on Kibbutz Be’eri.
According to Israel, Idan Shtivi died in 2023 on the festival day, but his death was only confirmed in October 2024. At that time, Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep sorrow over the death of the Hamas captive with Portuguese nationality, Idan Shtivi.
“We express deep sorrow over the death, confirmed today, of our fellow citizen Idan Shtivi, one of the many hostages of Hamas, and extend heartfelt condolences to his family,” stated the Portuguese diplomacy.
Idan Shtivi was an amateur photographer and, according to Netanyahu’s office, a sustainability student.
In May, Idan Shtivi’s father visited Portugal. “I am here because I want to tell the people of Portugal that they have a citizen imprisoned in Gaza,” Eli Shtivi said at the time.
On platform X, Israeli Ambassador to Portugal, Oren Rozenblat, also confirmed that Idan Shtivi’s body was recovered by Israel “in a complex military operation.”
In the same platform, Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid “sincere tribute to the Portuguese-Israeli citizen.” “The Government pays sincere tribute to the Portuguese-Israeli citizen Idan Shtivi, taken hostage by the terrorist group Hamas during the horrific October 7 attacks, whose body has now been recovered. Condolences to the family and the people of Israel, in solidarity with their suffering,” it read.
The death of Idan Shtivi, 28, was confirmed on October 7, 2024, a year after Hamas carried out attacks against Israel. His body has now been recovered, as revealed by the Israeli government.
Notícias ao Minuto com Lusa | 08:41 – 31/08/2025
Israel has been conducting a military offensive in the Gaza Strip since the group Hamas launched an attack on October 7, 2023, resulting in around 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages, 48 of whom remain in Gaza.
Israel estimates that at least 20 of those 48 kidnapped individuals are still alive.
The last recovery of hostage remains from Gaza by Israel occurred on June 21, when the bodies of three Israelis killed on October 7, and taken to Gaza by Palestinian militias, were found.
The latest death toll from the offensive, announced by the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled enclave, is close to 63,400, including 330 by hunger due to Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid delivery, of which 124 were children.
The Israeli army declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” on Friday as it prepares to occupy it.
According to UN data, approximately one million Palestinians are in Gaza City. Thousands of residents have already fled the city, located in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave.
