It was confirmed that the remains of deceased hostage Lior Rudaeff were returned to Israel on Friday night following forensic examinations, the IDF announced on Saturday morning.
When Rudaeff was killed, he was already a proud grandfather, though he lived to meet only two of his three grandchildren.
A husband, father, and grandfather, longtime Nir Yitzhak resident Lior Rudaeff was a member of the kibbutz’s response team when he was murdered by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken to Gaza.
Born in 1962 to a Jewish family in Argentina, Rudaeff immigrated to Israel and settled in Nir Yitzhak at the age of seven in 1969. An expert on vehicles, he was known in the kibbutz for his passion for driving and his mastery of nearly every motorized vehicle, holding a license “for every motorized vehicle with wheels,” according to Nir Yitzhak’s memorial page.
During his IDF service, Rudaeff served in an anti-aircraft unit and fought in the First Lebanon War in 1982. After returning home, he met the love of his life, Yaffa, and the two married in 1985. Together, they built a family of six, with children Noam, Nadav, Bar, and Ben. Their youngest son, Ben, would later survive the Nova festival massacre. When Rudaeff was killed, he was already a proud grandfather, though he lived to meet only two of his three grandchildren.
His love for driving led him to work as a truck driver for many years, including in the Gaza Strip. But his true passion was service to others. According to the kibbutz, he “devoted most of his adult life to volunteering,” joining the community’s emergency response team immediately after his army service. For more than 25 years, he also volunteered as a Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance driver for 40 years, always ready to help those in need.
October 7: How Lior Rudaeff fought to protect his kibbutz
On the morning of October 7, Hamas terrorists breached the gates of Nir Yitzhak, attacking its residents. Rudaeff, along with other members of the kibbutz’s security team, rushed to defend the community. They fought bravely for hours without any IDF backup, unaware that the army would not arrive until that evening, after the terrorists had already withdrawn.
In those chaotic hours, several members of the team were killed in the fighting, but Rudaeff was nowhere to be found. When his phone was tracked to Gaza, it was believed that he had been taken hostage along with others from the kibbutz. For seven months, his family hoped for good news. Then, in May 2024, the IDF informed them of the devastating truth: the 61-year-old had been killed on October 7, and his body had been taken to Gaza.
Since then, the Rudaeff family has been advocating for the return of his body, so they can bury him according to Jewish law. He left behind a wife, four children and three grandchildren.