John Block, New Mexico State Representative for District 51, expressed his condolences following the death of Shlomo Mansour, an 86-year-old man who was abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel. Block said, "Prayers to Mr. Mansour's family." He made this statement on X on February 11.

"This is horrible news," said Block. "Prayers to Mr. Mansour's family. We will never forget what the satanic Hamas terrorists did."

Block shared a post from the social media account Libs of TikTok, which included a photograph of Mansour and mentioned that his family had been notified of his death. According to the post, Mansour's body is still being held in Gaza.

Screenshot of State Representative John Block's Feb. 11 post on X | X

The BBC reported on February 11 about Mansour’s death. Mansour, originally from Iraq, was reportedly abducted by Hamas during an attack on his home in Kibbutz Kissufim. His wife managed to escape. He was one of 33 hostages identified for release by the Israeli government as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Since January 19, sixteen Israeli hostages and five Thai hostages have been freed. Born in Baghdad, Mansour survived the 1941 Farhud pogrom and emigrated to Israel with his family when he was thirteen. He was a father of five and a grandfather to twelve.

The Times of Israel confirmed Mansour’s death and quoted a statement from Kibbutz Kissufim: "With a heavy heart, we kibbutz members received the news this morning of the murder in captivity of our dear friend Shlomo Mansour." The kibbutz described him as the "beating heart" of their community whose smile, modesty, and warmth were an inspiration.

Block is a lifelong New Mexico resident who has worked in various roles including as a staffer at the New Mexico Legislature and as a coordinator for government affairs at Chevron. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Rutgers University and an MBA from Eastern New Mexico University. Block currently resides in Alamogordo with his boyfriend.