Bodies Returned to Israel Confirmed as Hostages Arie ‘Zalman’ Zalmanowicz and Tamir Adar
By The Media Line Staff
Israel’s military confirmed late Tuesday that Hamas transferred the remains of two hostages, both residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, whose identities were later verified as 85-year-old Arie “Zalman” Zalmanowicz and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar, 38. Their return marks another phase in the ongoing repatriation of hostages’ bodies under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Red Cross vehicles collected the caskets in southern Gaza and delivered them to Israeli forces at the border, where soldiers conducted an initial inspection before draping each in an Israeli flag. A brief ceremony, led by IDF Chief Rabbi Brig. Gen. Eyal Krim, was held in their memory before the remains were taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for formal identification. Family notifications followed several hours later.
The IDF said Zalmanowicz, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz and known among residents for his devotion to agriculture and manual work, was kidnapped from his home during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and died in captivity the following month. Adar, who served as the kibbutz’s deputy security coordinator, was killed while defending the community that same morning as Hamas terrorists overran the area.
Hamas’s military wing had announced earlier Tuesday that it would return the bodies of two hostages “retrieved today in the Strip,” without naming them. The handover came just one day after the group transferred the remains of Tal Haimi, another Nir Yitzhak resident killed during the assault.
The exchange brings to 15 the number of deceased Israeli hostages whose bodies have been repatriated since the start of the ceasefire’s first phase earlier this month. According to Israeli officials, 13 bodies are believed to remain in Gaza, among the 28 initially held when the truce began.
Both Nir Oz and Nir Yitzhak were among the hardest-hit communities in southern Israel during the October 7 massacre, when Hamas terrorists killed and abducted dozens of civilians and responders in coordinated assaults across the region.
Brought to you by www.srnnews.com