Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas: Live updates

The family of Israeli hostage Elad Katzir, who the Israeli military says was likely killed in January, said he might be alive today if a ceasefire-hostages deal had been struck.

Katzir’s body was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to his family in Israel following identification procedures, according to an earlier joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA).

He “could have been saved if a deal had happened in time,” Carmit Katzir, his sister, said at a small rally held in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Katzir’s body was rescued overnight from Khan Younis and returned to his family in Israel following identification procedures, according to an earlier joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency. He was abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz by Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants on October 7. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Katzir was likely killed in January, according to Israeli intelligence.

“Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political considerations and that is why it did not happen. He might be recognized as a casualty of hostilities, but the exact term is casualty of acts of neglect,” his sister said.

Katzir’s body was recovered overnight from Khan Younis and returned to his family in Israel following identification procedures, according to an earlier joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency. He was abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz by Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants on October 7.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Saturday that Katzir was likely killed in January, citing Israeli intelligence.

“Katzir was murdered by his captors,” Hagari said when he was asked whether Katzir was murdered and not shot by Israeli forces by mistake, adding that “we know this from a very credible piece of intelligence.”

CNN is not able to independently confirm the information provided by Hagari.