Elad, 47 years old, was born in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His father Avraham-Rami Katzir was murdered in the attack on the kibbutz, and his mother Hannah Katzir was kidnapped and is currently in Gaza. Elad is their middle child, between 2 sisters (Avital Shay and Carmit Palty-Katzir). He is an uncle to 6 nephews, aged 4 to 22.
Elad grew up and was educated in Nir Oz. In the past 25 years, he carried out many central roles in the kibbutz, and was for many years a member of the kibbutz secretariat. Nir Oz is a large agricultural cooperative, and Elad is a farmer in charge of its many different irrigation systems. He is a member of the kibbut’’s fire crew and the community’s emergency team, and is the liaison between the kibbutz and military officials.
Elad is a diehard Maccabi Haifa soccer fan, accompanying the team in all its games in Israel and abroad. He regularly hosts the “Friday Afternoon Parliament” in Nir Oz, where he invites friends for beer and laughs. He thinks of himself as a true Zionist. He is a partner and activist in “Misdar Hadar” (a project established in 2018 that includes an array of activists whose goal is to manage and conduct a variety of activities to promote the return of Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul and other Israeli civilians abducted to Gaza in 2014).
Elad served in a combat unit. Following his service he suffered from significant hearing loss and uses a hearing aid. In one of the previous attacks on the kibbutz, Elad found himself in the middle of crossfire and during this incident he took care of others who needed help and assistance. Like many residents of kibbutzim bordering with Gaza, events like this left a mark on him and he regularly sought out emotional support.
Elad is known for his immense love and care for the many children of the kibbutz and above all to his nieces and nephews. He is a true mensch, always willing to help and the first one to respond when someone is in need.On October 7th, 2023, Elad shared on the his WhatsApp siblings group that something “crazy” was happening on the kibbutz. In his last words on the phone to his sister Carmit Palti-Katzir, he said: “The terrorists are in my house… We need to be resilient.” She lost contact with him at 9:47am, and ever since his fate and whereabouts have been unknown.
