Home After 742 Days: Israel Brings Back the Bodies of Tamir Adar and Arieh (Zalman) Zalmanovitch

The bodies of Arieh (Zalman) Zalmanovitch and Tamir Adar, were returned to Israel overnight as their remains were transferred by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Israeli security forces and then taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for identification and further examination.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the National Forensic Institute, together with Israeli police and the Military Rabbinate, completed the identification process and notified the families. The Prime Minister’s Office added that all families of fallen hostages have been informed and that “our hearts are with them” in this difficult hour.

Earlier, the Red Cross handed over the coffins to IDF and Shin Bet personnel inside Gaza. A convoy escorted the transfer to the forensic institute, where identification took place in the presence of relevant authorities. Local residents from the Eshkol Regional Council gathered at the Gama junction to accompany the convoy as it passed.

The government statement said its agencies remain committed to continuing efforts to return all missing hostages and ensure they receive a proper burial. The statement also called on Hamas to fulfill its obligations to the mediators and cooperate in the implementation of agreements to return the remaining remains.

Israeli military intelligence indicates that Arieh (Zalman) Zalmanovitch, who was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, was killed in captivity; authorities estimate his death occurred in November 2023. Zalmanovitch was 85 and is survived by two sons and five grandchildren.

Tamir Adar, a reserve sergeant and member of Nir Oz’s quick-response team, was reported killed during the defense of the kibbutz on October 7, 2023; his body was taken by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Adar, 38 at the time of death, was declared deceased in January 2024 and is survived by his wife, two children, parents, and siblings. His grandmother, Yafa Adar, was also abducted and was released in the November 2023 “Heaven’s Gates” agreement.

Final conclusions regarding the circumstances of death will be drawn after the forensic institute completes its review, officials said. The IDF said it continues to invest all necessary efforts to return the rest of the hostages and remains.