All three Italians missing after Hamas attack are dead, Rome says

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks as he attends a press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured), in Cairo, Egypt, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

ROME, Oct 23 (Reuters) - All of the three people with dual Italian-Israeli citizenship who went missing after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Hamas militant group have died, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday.

"Unfortunately Nir Forti has also died. He was the last of the 3 missing Italian-Israelis," Tajani said on X, the social media platform. "Dying at the age of 29, brutally killed by terrorists, is profoundly unjust," he added.

Hours earlier, Tajani had announced the death of Lilian Le Havron, wife of Eviatar Moshe Kipnis who had been confirmed dead on Oct. 17. The couple lived in Kibbutz Be'eri, 3 miles (5 km) from Gaza, one of the first areas to be hit by Hamas.

"I renew my condolences to the children and family. For Italy another day of mourning," the minister wrote, in another message on X.

On Sunday, Tajani had said that seven or eight Italians, plus their spouses and children, were in the south of the Gaza Strip and were trying to get out.

Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Mark Potter and Alistair Bell

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