The remains of Bulgarian-Israeli hostage Sahar Baruch have been formally identified through forensic testing after being returned from Gaza to Israel, more than two years after he was abducted and killed by Hamas. His body was recovered for burial following extensive efforts to locate and identify the victims of the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Baruch was 24 when militants stormed Kibbutz Beeri, one of the communities hardest hit by the assault. He was taken hostage and held for several months under harsh conditions in Gaza. In December 2023, he was killed during an Israeli military attempt to rescue him and two other captives.

Before the attack, Sahar had just come back from a long trip across South America and was preparing to start studying electrical and computer engineering at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba. Those who knew him described him as an outstanding chess player, passionate about anime, and someone whose humor and sharp mind brought light to those around him. His family said he could always make them laugh, no matter the circumstances.

On the morning of October 7, Sahar was at his mother’s home in Kibbutz Beeri with his brother, Idan, when the Hamas assault began. As they tried to reach the shelter, grenades were thrown into the house, wounding Idan with shrapnel. They managed to reach the safe room but were unable to lock it and instead blocked the door with a cabinet. While Sahar tried to tend to his brother’s injury, the attackers set the house on fire, forcing the brothers to flee through a window.

Idan jumped out first, while Sahar went back to find his brother’s inhaler. The two became separated in the chaos. Idan was captured and later killed by the attackers, while Sahar was taken across the border into Gaza. Israeli authorities later determined that he had been held in captivity for about three months before being killed during the botched rescue operation.

His death was officially confirmed on December 9, 2023. The details of his final moments remain unclear. It is not known whether he was killed during the military raid or afterward by his captors. A video released by Hamas showed his lifeless body bearing clear signs of violence, including severe facial injuries and mutilation.

Sahar Baruch is survived by his parents, Tami and Roni, and his brothers, Guy and Niv. His story has become one of many symbols of the human toll of the October 7 attacks, remembered both in Israel and Bulgaria as a tragedy that cut short the life of a promising young man.