In a joint operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet, Israeli forces have recovered forensic evidence belonging to Manny Menachem Goddard, the Israeli civilian who was murdered and kidnapped by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad during the October 7 massacre. The findings were retrieved from a terrorist outpost in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to a statement released this evening.
Despite the discovery, Goddard’s body remains in Hamas-controlled territory, and the mission to return him to Israel for a proper burial continues. The IDF confirmed that his family has been officially informed and is being supported during this painful time.
A Painful Reminder of October 7
Manny Menachem Goddard was among the more than 1,163 innocent Israelis slaughtered or kidnapped on October 7, 2023, in the most brutal terrorist attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Goddard was abducted by operatives of the Islamic Jihad (PIJ)—one of several Iran-backed terror groups that participated in the massacre.
The remains recovered in Rafah were located inside a PIJ military outpost, deep within a combat zone now under IDF pressure as part of Israel’s ongoing effort to dismantle Hamas and its allied terror factions. The items were forensically identified by Israel’s National Forensic Medicine Institute and the Israel Police.
This marks a major development in the broader national effort to locate and return all Israeli hostages and fallen civilians still being held or hidden in Gaza. The operation is a reminder that even in death, terrorists are denying families the basic human dignity of closure.
The War Continues for Our Fallen
The joint statement from the IDF and Shin Bet emphasized that efforts are ongoing to locate Goddard’s full remains and bring them home. Israel remains committed to returning every hostage, every fallen civilian, and every soldier, no matter the cost or complexity.
This discovery is both tragic and critical—it confirms the terrorist role of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the October 7 massacre, exposes the continued abuse of bodies for psychological warfare, and highlights the urgency of Israel’s ongoing operations in Rafah, where PIJ and Hamas still operate underground infrastructure.
National Mourning, National Resolve
As Israel mourns the loss of Manny Menachem Goddard z”l, his story joins the countless others who were brutally murdered, kidnapped, or are still suffering in Hamas’ underground dungeons. Their memory is not forgotten, and their return remains a national mission.
Bring Them Back Home NOW!
Israel will not rest until every last hostage is home, and every last terrorist who participated in the October 7 massacre is brought to justice. The war against Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Iran’s entire terror axis is not just about territory—it’s about restoring dignity, securing justice, and defending humanity itself.
