The body of the oldest hostage captured by Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attack on Hamas was one of two deceased hostages returned to Israel from Gaza on Tuesday.
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the bodies of Arie Zarmanovic and Tamir Adal had been identified and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had notified their families.
The two coffins containing the bodies of Zalmanovic and Adal crossed the border into Israel early Tuesday and were taken to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for formal identification and investigation into the cause of death.
Hamas has now returned 15 of the 28 dead hostage bodies outlined in the US-proposed cease-fire agreement signed on October 9th.
Mr Zalmanovic was abducted alive from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel during an attack on October 7 and is believed to have been killed in captivity on November 17, 2023, at the age of 85.
In a statement, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said he was the oldest hostage held by Hamas and described him as a “tough and humble man who demands nothing for himself.” According to the kibbutz, he is one of the founders of the community.
Tamir Adal, also from Kibbutz Nir Oz, died in a defensive battle against Hamas on October 7, 2023, and his body was transferred to Gaza, the IDF announced. He was 38 years old at the time.
“Those close to him describe him as sociable and well-loved, with a keen sense of humour, and a thoughtful and sensitive conversationalist,” the family forum said.
“The Israeli government shares the deep sorrow of the families of Mr. Zalmanovic and Mr. Adal, as well as all the families of the deceased hostages,” the prime minister’s office said.
A grandfather and family-oriented person
A spokesperson for Kibbutz Nir Oz said Zarmanovic was a father of two, grandfather of five and a “man of the land”.
He was a farmer by profession, growing wheat “in the harsh conditions of the Negev,” and “agriculture was the center of his life,” a kibbutz official said.
As a founding member of the community, Zalmanovich, known as Zalman, “considered the kibbutz the fulfillment of his life and homeland, and the community as his family,” the statement added.
“We will always remember Zalman as an honest and humble worker, an idealist and a farmer at heart,” the kibbutz said.
A kibbutz spokesperson described Adal, a father of two, as “a family-oriented person who loves people and nature, and is a farmer and educator by profession.”
A passionate supporter of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, Adar was “always surrounded by friends and loved by everyone,” the kibbutz said.
“He was very fond of birds of prey and used to follow them with binoculars while working in the field and traveling,” it added.
“We will remember Mr. Tamir as a dedicated educator with ties to nature and agriculture, and as a beloved husband, father, son, brother and grandson who will be missed by all of us,” the kibbutz said.
Under the Trump administration’s ceasefire agreement, Hamas was supposed to return all living and dead hostages within 72 hours of the ceasefire taking effect. Israeli intelligence assesses that Hamas may not be able to locate and return all of the dead hostages remaining in Gaza.
Hamas said recovering bodies in Gaza would require “huge efforts and special equipment.” The Israeli military says one of the bodies handed over from Hamas under last week’s agreement was not that of an Israeli hostage.
Israeli officials said initial assessments at the time suggested the bodies were misidentified, rather than Hamas deliberately sending the wrong body.
The latest hostage release came hours after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance landed in Israel and the Trump administration moved to implement the next phase of the ceasefire plan.
Over the weekend, Israel and Hamas confirmed their commitment to a cease-fire agreement after Israel accused Hamas of carrying out an attack that killed two IDF soldiers and sparking a wave of airstrikes.
Hamas and the Israeli military each accuse the other of violations.
Vance on Tuesday downplayed concerns about the fragility of the ceasefire, but declined to give a date for the return of all the dead hostages and the complete disarmament of Hamas.
“Everyone here is focused on getting the bodies back to their families so they can have a proper burial. That being said, this is difficult. It’s not going to happen overnight,” Vance said at a news conference in Israel.
The US vice president also said that some of the dead hostages are “buried under thousands of pounds of debris. Some of them, no one even knows where they are. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to rescue them.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Irene Greif, Adrian Vogt and Dana Karni contributed reporting.
