Ilan Weiss was a 56-year-old resident of Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel, known for his dedication as a family man, community member, and infrastructure manager.[2][5] Born around 1967, he grew up in Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces as a combat engineer, was wounded, and completed his service as an air traffic controller at Nevatim Airbase.[2] After discharge, he worked in agriculture, growing cotton, before moving to Be'eri in 1992 to manage crops there.[2] In Be'eri, Weiss married Shiri, a local, in 1995; they raised three daughters and enjoyed family travels, including a trip to Budapest in August 2023 to visit his father's childhood home.[2] Professionally versatile, he earned a bachelor's degree in management from Ruppin Academic Center while working in agriculture, then at the kibbutz printing house, mechanic shop, and back in farming.[2] His final role was infrastructure manager, overseeing building, electricity, and plumbing community-wide; he also served on committees and as deputy of the civilian first responder team.[2][5] On October 7, 2023, during the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, Weiss joined the emergency response team to defend the community after the security team's leader was killed.[2][3][5] He was murdered by terrorists, and his body was taken hostage to Gaza.[2][3][5] His wife Shiri, 54, and daughter Noga, 19, were abducted but released in a November 2023 ceasefire deal.[5] Weiss's remains were recovered by the IDF and ISA in a joint operation after 693 days in captivity, as announced recently.[3][5] Kibbutz Be'eri described him as a hardworking, humorous, reliable friend who tackled any challenge fearlessly.[2] The Israeli Hostages and Missing Families Forum called him a humble, principled father.[5] President Isaac Herzog praised his courage, condemning Hamas's crimes and vowing to bring all hostages home.[5]