The Prime Minister's Office announced overnight Monday that fallen hostage Tal Haimi was identified by forensic authorities afte rit was handed over by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Monday. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organization claimed Haimi was held in its custody throughout the period.
Haimi's family received notification on December 13, 2023, that he had been murdered on Oct. 7, 2023 after being classified as abducted since the Hamas attack.
Tal was a third-generation founder of Kibbutz Nir-Yitzhak and was connected with every fiber of his being to the kibbutz and served as one of the community's pillars. On October 7, Tal, part of the security team of his town, confronted the terrorists who had entered his kibbutz. He was murdered alongside his unit partner, Lior Rudaeff, and their bodies were abducted to Gaza. His family and friends recounted that he was always first to help, to lend a hand, and to bring calm and security to everyone around him.
Tal left behind his wife Ela, three children – 9-year-old twins and a 6-year-old son, his father Zahar and his sister Or. His wife was pregnant when he was abducted. In May 2024, she gave birth to their fourth child.
His family chose to conduct a funeral for him even before he was returned to Israel, when his wife Elah eulogized him: "My Tal, the thing most distant from you is that I would stand and speak in such a forum about me and you and us. But I must say goodbye. On October 7, part of me also died. Disintegrated. And now I need to rebuild. Trying to think about the life we had and what I am without you. After all, we were together more years than apart. I didn't go out to any challenge without you by my side. How much stability you brought into my life. You made me who I am. Everything they say about you – the quiet, the serenity, the composure and the wisdom – that's also what you were at home and many times over. The absence is enormous. You left me four gifts in your image. And I promise you here that this will be a happy home full of life."
She addressed her children and said: "Einav, Nir and Udi, your father was killed doing what he believed in more than anything – he protected us and the kibbutz, a kibbutz where he grew up and raised a family. He didn't hesitate for a moment when he left the house that morning."
