Elderly Israeli woman reported dead by Hamas among 13 hostages released

Hannah Katzir, 77, was reportedly among the 13 Israeli hostages released Friday, but the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had said several days ago that she had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Hamas officials on Nov. 9, according to the New York Post, had said they were prepared to release Katzir for humanitarian reasons. In a video released by the terrorist group, she was seen in a wheelchair and claimed Hamas was taking care of her and her fellow hostages.

“We previously expressed our willingness to release her for humanitarian reasons, but the enemy was stalling and this led to her death,” a message from the group later read.

In response to the misinformation, the Israel Policy Forum stated that “This sick manipulation is the psychological warfare that will intensify in the coming days.”

Katzir, a mother of three and grandmother of six, along with her son, were among the 75 people abducted from a community near the Israel-Gaza border during the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7.

Her husband, 55-year-old Avraham “Rami” Katzir was killed, along with 37 others, according to the Post.