Maj. Gen. (res.) Yossi Bachar, who has been serving as deputy commander of the IDF Southern Command in the reserves since the war began, revealed that he is the uncle of Sahar Baruch, who was returned to Israel on Thursday.
Bachar, 61, is a senior IDF officer who previously commanded the IDF Ground Forces Command, the Gaza Division, the Galilee Formation, the Paratroopers Brigade, the 101st Battalion, the Maglan Unit, and the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit.
A resident of Kibbutz Be'eri, Bachar's mother, Geula, was murdered in the October 7 massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists.
Sahar Baruch, 25, was kidnapped from his home in Be'eri by Hamas terrorists and taken to Gaza, where he was murdered. His brother Idan was also murdered by Hamas on the same day. The two left behind their parents, Tami and Roni, and brothers Guy and Niv.
"The tears choke me. Why does all this pain have to fall on Tami, my dear sister?" Bachar wrote in a Facebook post. "Idan was murdered on that black Saturday, and Sahar, who survived the massacre, was kidnapped to Gaza, where, on the night of December 8, he was killed during a failed rescue operation by Sayeret Matkal. We'll leave it to the unit's men to share the operational details."
Bachar said the family will lay Sahar to rest this Sunday in Be'eri's soil, beside his brother Idan. "In the same cemetery with Grandma Geula, Naomi, Carmel, Dana, and the other dear and beloved people of Be'eri."
In his post, Bachar expressed both sorrow and a sense of relief: "An unbearable price of war. Sahar was so close to coming home. And yet, even in these moments of pain and frustration, we must acknowledge the immense relief. For Tami, Roni, Guy, Niv, and Grandpa, there will finally be a place to cry. A place where Sahar will rest forever."
He also praised the IDF soldiers who fought for the hostages' return: "All of this is thanks to the brave soldiers of the IDF—those who came back from the battlefield and those who did not—whose courage in this difficult war created the conditions for the deal that brought the hostages home. And yesterday evening, our Sahar was returned to us."
"We will accompany Sahar on Sunday," Bachar added. "We will comfort his parents, his brothers, and our grieving grandfather Yitzhak. We will wipe our tears and rise to rebuild and strengthen Be'eri, to bring the community home as soon as possible. It will be good again here in Be'eri, we will make sure of that."
