Ronen Engel
Gender: Male
Age when taken: 54
Citizenship: Israel
Occupation: Photographer, Volunteer in Magen David Adom
Hostage status: Confirmed deceased and returned to Israel on October 19th, 2025, during the Israel-Hamas ceasefire
More about Ronen:
His wife Karina and their daughters Mika and Yuval were kidnapped with him and released on November 27th, 2023
His son, Tom, was away from home on the weekend of October 7th
On December 1st, 2023, the IDF confirmed that Ronen had been killed in captivity
Loved motorcycles
Ronen’s tattoo said “Always look on the bright side of life.”
Had recently completed a degree in water engineering
Related Hostages: Karina Engel, wife (Redeemed/Alive), Mika Engel, daughter (Redeemed/Alive), and Yuval Engel, daughter (Redeemed/Alive)
Primary Sources:
Times of Israel, Ronen Engel, Thailand's Sonthaya Oakkharasri identified as hostage bodies returned by Hamas, Oct 19, 2025
i24 News, 'Every day is getting harder. We know who we're dealing with,' says relative of 4 hostages, Nov 08, 2023
Times of Israel, Ronen Engel, 54: Photographer, dad who was 'always smiling', Dec 12, 2023
Times of Israel, Kibbutz says resident Ronen Engel murdered by Hamas; family freed from Gaza this week, Dec 01, 2023
Ha’aretz (unlocked), Six Israeli Hostages Held by Hamas Confirmed Killed in Captivity, Dec 01, 2023
Ynet, Mom and daughters return from Gaza without their father - 'Look how thin I got without doing sports', Nov 28, 2023
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swords of Iron: Civilian Casualties, Mar 28, 2024
Secondary Sources:
Date Last Updated: October 19th, 2025