As Israel continues the sacred mission of bringing every hostage and fallen soldier home, the nation honors the memory of those who gave everything.
By United with Israel Staff
The Prime Minister’s Office announced Tuesday that the bodies of two men from Kibbutz Nir Oz — Master Sergeant (Res.) Tamir Adar, 38, and Aryeh (Zalman) Zalmanovich, 85 — have been returned to Israel and positively identified after forensic testing coordinated with the Israel Police and the IDF Rabbinate. IDF representatives personally notified the families once identification was complete.
Tamir Adar, a reservist in the IDF Paratroopers Brigade, served as deputy security coordinator and a member of Nir Oz’s rapid response team. On the morning of October 7, after receiving an alert about an infiltration, he left his home at 6:30 a.m., texting his wife Hadas to stay locked inside with their two young children.
Adar and fellow members of the emergency squad fought to defend the kibbutz; he was gravely wounded, captured by Hamas and later died of his injuries in Gaza.
Adar was the grandson of Yaffa Adar, 85, a Holocaust survivor from Nir Oz who was also kidnapped that day and released during the November ceasefire. His courage and sacrifice have become emblematic of his community’s resilience.
Aryeh Zalmanovich, a founding member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was taken from his home during the assault and murdered in captivity.
His family remembers him as “a man of the earth his whole life, who worked in agriculture and crops; a man of reading with vast knowledge in history and the land.”
In footage released by N12, Zalmanovich was shown being forced onto a motorcycle and driven into Gaza, visibly wounded and bleeding as some bystanders struck him. Israeli authorities say he likely survived for weeks in captivity before dying, reportedly due to lack of medical care.
The bodies of Master Sergeant (Res.) Tamir Adar and Aryeh Zalmanovich were among those returned to Israel this week, a painful reminder that Hamas continues to hold the remains of murdered Israelis.
As Israel continues the sacred mission of bringing every hostage and fallen soldier home, the nation honors the memory of those who gave everything — brave defenders like Tamir Adar and steadfast pioneers like Aryeh Zalmanovich — whose lives and sacrifice embody the strength and spirit of the Jewish people.
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