The bodies of Arie Zalmanovich and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar have been returned to Israel for a proper Jewish burial, after being held hostage by Gazan terrorists.
By Rachel Avraham
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office announced, “Following the completion of the identification process by the National Center of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the IDF Rabbinate, IDF representatives informed the families of hostages Arie (Zalman) Zalmanovich, of blessed memory, and Master Sergeant (Res.) Tamir Adar, of blessed memory, the deputy local security commander and a member of the local security team, both from Kibbutz Nir Oz, that their loved ones had been returned to Israel and that their identification had been completed.”
Israel’s Prime Minister’s office continued, “The Government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Zalmanovich and Adar families and all the families of the deceased hostages. The Government and the entire establishment for the missing and the captives of the State of Israel are determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return all of our deceased hostages for proper burial in their country.”
According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, “The Hamas terrorist organization is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the deceased hostages, every last one of them. May their memory be for a blessing.”
Yedioth Achronot reported that Zalmanowicz, 85, was abducted alive from his home and is believed by the IDF to have been murdered in captivity on Nov. 17, 2023. He is survived by two sons and five grandchildren. After more than ten months of war, Zalmanowicz’s family decided to release footage of his abduction, which shows him injured and being taken away on a motorcycle, Yedioth Achronot added. Farhan Qadi, who was later rescued from Hamas captivity, testified that Zalmanowicz died beside him after being denied medication and medical treatment, Yedioth Achronot noted.
“My father was murdered in agony of body and soul,” his son Boaz said after the video was made public. “They didn’t shoot him or strangle him — but he was left without food and without his medicine.” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described him as “a man who devoted his life to the land, working in agriculture and specializing in wheat cultivation under the harsh desert conditions of the Negev. A man of books and knowledge, especially in history and the geography of Israel, he was tough and modest, never asking for anything for himself. Even during previous rounds of fighting, he refused to leave his home.” Zalmanowicz was the oldest hostage held in Gaza, Yedioth Achronot reported. His body was returned to Israel after Hamas released the body of the last female hostage, Inbar Haiman, in recent days.
According to the report, Adar, 38, a reservist master sergeant, deputy security coordinator and member of the kibbutz’s emergency squad, was killed defending Nir Oz. His body was seized by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization allied with Hamas, Yedioth Achronot added. He is survived by his wife, two young children, age three and seven, his parents, two brothers and a sister, Yedioth Achronot noted.
After his death was confirmed, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said he was “a devoted husband and father of two small children who were his entire world. A third-generation member of Nir Oz, a farmer at heart who believed in Israeli produce. Deeply rooted in the land, he loved the country and hiking its trails. He was a man of open spaces and flowing streams, who loved watching the sunset with his children.”
The transfer of Adar’s and Zalmanowitcz’s bodies came a day after Hamas transferred over the body of Tal Haimi, the Times of Israel reported. 13 bodies now still remain held hostage in Gaza, the Times of Israel added. At the start of the ceasefire on October 10, the bodies of 28 deceased hostages were held inside the Gaza Strip.
In accordance with the ceasefire deal, Hamas released the last 20 living hostages, within 72 hours of Israel’s withdrawal to the Yellow Line. Hamas has also returned the remains of 15 slain hostages during the ceasefire.
Photo from כאן | חדשות – תאגיד השידור הישראלי: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H26cfDYyGrQ
