On Tuesday evening, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced the return to Israel of the bodies of the two Israeli hostages, “Aryeh Zalmanovich” and “Tamir Adar,” who were kidnapped from Kibbutz “Nir Oz.” This operation was carried out through the mediation of the International Red Cross, after their detention in the Gaza Strip.
An official statement reported that the coffins were transferred via the “Erez” crossing into Israeli territory, where they were identified at the Forensic Medicine Institute. The statement indicated that despite the handover and the long period the bodies spent in Gaza, Hamas still holds 13 bodies of other hostages in the Strip.
The hostage, “Aryeh Zalmanovich” (85 years old), was one of the founders of Kibbutz “Nir Oz” and a farmer specializing in wheat cultivation in the desert. He was described as a simple and tough man who refused to leave his home despite previous confrontations with Gaza. Israeli sources reported that he was kidnapped alive on October 7, 2023, and killed during his captivity on November 17 of the same year.
As for “Tamir Adar” (38 years old), he was a reserve officer with the rank of first sergeant and a member of the local protection unit of the kibbutz. According to the Israeli narrative, he was killed while trying to defend the “Nir Oz” settlement during the October 7 attack, after confronting militants affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. His body was transferred to Gaza, where it remained detained until its handover this week.
This development comes in the context of undeclared negotiations taking place through Egyptian and Qatari mediation to complete the second phase of the exchange of bodies and hostages between Israel and Hamas, but no clear progress has been recorded in this regard so far.
source: 961 today
