Israel identifies remains of deceased hostage Tal Haimi, as 15 still in Gaza

Israel identified the remains of a deceased hostage returned from Gaza as Sgt. Maj. Tal Haimi, the commander of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s rapid response team.

Haimi was 41 years old at the time of his death. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Haimi was killed in combat while defending Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. His body was then taken into Gaza, where it was held hostage for more than two years.

While Haimi’s family initially believed he was taken alive, Israel declared him deceased on Dec. 13, 2023.

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Haimi was a third generation descendant of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s founders and a fourth-generation resident, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“Tal worked as a mechanical engineer and was a member of the Nir Yitzhak emergency response team. He loved taking his family on trips in nature and camping outdoors. An avid tool enthusiast, he was known for always finding a solution to any problem that arose,” the forum wrote after Haimi’s remains were returned and identified.

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Haimi is survived by his wife and their four children, as well as his father and his sister. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum noted that one of Haimi’s children was born after he was murdered.

Following the identification of Haimi’s remains, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office expressed condolences for his family and reiterated its call for Hamas to release the remains of all deceased hostages for proper burial. The IDF also echoed this call, demanding Hamas fulfill its obligations under the agreement brokered by the Trump administration.

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On Oct. 13, 2025, the final 20 living hostages returned to Israel after more than two years in captivity. Meanwhile, the remains of the 28 deceased hostages have been slowly returned since then. Now, the remains of 15 deceased hostages, including U.S. citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, are still in Gaza. One of the deceased hostages in Gaza is Hadar Goldin, whose remains have been held in the enclave since he was killed in battle in 2014.