The remains of Arie (Zalman) Zalmanowicz and Tamir Adar, both from Kibbutz Nir Oz, were returned to Israel on Tuesday after 746 days in captivity in the Gaza Strip. The two were among those kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel.
Zalmanowicz, 85, was abducted alive from his home and is believed by the IDF to have been murdered in captivity on Nov. 17, 2023. He is survived by two sons and five grandchildren.
Adar, 38, a reservist master sergeant, deputy security coordinator and member of the kibbutz’s emergency squad, was killed defending Nir Oz. His body was seized by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization allied with Hamas. He is survived by his wife, two young children, his parents, two brothers and a sister.
After more than ten months of war, Zalmanowicz’s family decided to release footage of his abduction, which shows him injured and being taken away on a motorcycle. Farhan Qadi, who was later rescued from Hamas captivity, testified that Zalmanowicz died beside him after being denied medication and medical treatment.
“My father was murdered in agony of body and soul,” his son Boaz said after the video was made public. “They didn’t shoot him or strangle him — but he was left without food and without his medicine.”
Zalmanowicz was born in Haifa and left home as a young man to help establish Kibbutz Nir Oz with his Nahal comrades. He was widowed in 1997 after the death of his wife, Ruth.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described him as “a man who devoted his life to the land, working in agriculture and specializing in wheat cultivation under the harsh desert conditions of the Negev. A man of books and knowledge, especially in history and the geography of Israel, he was tough and modest, never asking for anything for himself. Even during previous rounds of fighting, he refused to leave his home.” Zalmanowicz was the oldest hostage held in Gaza.
About six weeks ago, Boaz revealed that the family had been shown another Hamas video filmed on Oct. 7, apparently soon after his father was taken into Gaza. “It was a close-up,” he said. “Every detail was visible — the bandage on his head covering the wound from the blow he took, the blood dripping into his beard, his terrified eyes, his frail hands trying to cling to the back of his captor as if there was no other savior.”
The abduction of Arie (Zalman) Zalmanowicz
“He was abandoned on the morning of Oct. 7,” Boaz said, “and he suffered for 40 days in terrible pain. The government of Israel, which chose land over people and revenge over compassion, did not save him.”
Adar was initially listed as a hostage, but after 91 days his family was informed that he was no longer alive. He was the eldest grandson of 85-year-old Yafa Adar, who was also kidnapped to Gaza and released in the November 2023 hostage deal.
Born and raised in Nir Oz, Adar lived there with his wife, Hadas, and their two children, ages three and seven. His final message to her on Oct. 7 read: “Don’t open the door for anyone, even if it’s me asking you to.”
A farmer and educator, Adar was remembered as a devoted family man who loved people and nature. He was a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan, always surrounded by friends.
After his death was confirmed, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said he was “a devoted husband and father of two small children who were his entire world. A third-generation member of Nir Oz, a farmer at heart who believed in Israeli produce. Deeply rooted in the land, he loved the country and hiking its trails. He was a man of open spaces and flowing streams, who loved watching the sunset with his children.”
Adar’s relatives described him as “a great lover of music, especially Meir Ariel. A warm, sociable man, a thoughtful conversationalist with a sharp sense of humor — someone who always smiled and loved the simple joys of life.”
In June, his father, Moshe, said that Tamir was “like part of the landscape — vital, natural, deeply rooted in the soil. He was born in Nir Oz, grew up in the fields, and knew what a tractor was from a young age. We worked side by side in recent years — me in peanuts, him in water management. We would pass each other several times a day in the fields.”
On Saturdays, Moshe said, they would take the children with plant guides to the fields. “For us it wasn’t just a livelihood — it was a way of life. Tamir is missed constantly. Every time I drive through the fields, I think of him. Everything reminds me of him. The absence is always there.”
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the return of their remains: “The government of Israel shares in the profound grief of the Zalmanowicz and Adar families, and of all families of the fallen hostages. The state is committed to bringing every one of them home for proper burial in Israel. Hamas must fulfill its obligations to the mediators and return them as part of the agreed framework. We will not compromise and will spare no effort until every last hostage is brought home. May their memory be a blessing.”
The IDF said, “Final conclusions will be determined following forensic examination at the National Center of Forensic Medicine. The IDF shares in the families’ sorrow and continues to devote all efforts to bringing back the fallen hostages. Hamas must uphold its part of the agreement and return the hostages for proper burial.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, “At this painful hour, the families of the released and the hostages embrace the families whose loved ones were brought home yesterday for burial. Alongside the grief and the knowledge that their hearts will never be whole again, their return offers some small measure of solace after more than two years of torment and uncertainty. We will not rest until the last hostage is returned.”