Real Life Hero
Slain Kibbutz Hero Tal Haimi is Back Home
The remains of Sergeant Major Tal Haimi, killed defending Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7, have been identified and returned to Israel after being held in Gaza for two years.
The remains of Sergeant Major (res.) Tal Haimi, a slain defender of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, were officially identified and returned to Israel for burial today, October 21, 2025, providing a long-awaited measure of closure to his family after more than two years of uncertainty.
The confirmation from the Prime Minister’s Office followed the overnight completion of forensic procedures at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine. IDF representatives informed Haimi's family, who had lived with the harrowing knowledge of his death but the prolonged agony of his body being held hostage in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023, attack.
Heroism and Agonizing Wait
Tal Haimi, a third-generation resident and pillar of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, was the commander of the community's rapid response team. On the morning of October 7, he left his safe room, where his wife, Ela, and their three young children were sheltering, to lead the defensive battle against infiltrating Hamas terrorists at the kibbutz gate. He was killed in the fierce fighting and his body was subsequently abducted to Gaza.
His family was informed of his death in December 2023 based on intelligence. Ela Haimi gave birth to their fourth child, a son named Lotan, in May 2024, seven months after her husband’s heroic death. Haimi's return was facilitated late Monday night, October 20, as part of the ongoing terms of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, making him the 13th deceased hostage whose body has been recovered.
A Measure of Solace Amidst Grief
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which had relentlessly advocated for the return of all bodies, issued a statement embracing the Haimi family.
“Alongside the profound grief and the understanding that their hearts will never be whole again, Tal's return brings a measure of solace to a family that has lived in unbearable uncertainty and anguish for more than two years,” the Forum stated.
The statement underscored the continued commitment to bringing back the 15 other deceased hostages whose remains are still believed to be held in Gaza.
Haimi's uncle, Zamir Haimi, told public broadcaster Kan that his nephew "fought like a lion" with the defense squad. He noted that the family had succeeded in bringing their "blue-eyed child" home to his wife and four children.
The return comes at a sensitive time, as the fragile ceasefire in the region faces renewed strains, but provides a crucial moment for one family to finally mourn and offer a dignified burial to a man celebrated as a true defender of his home.