Slain hostage Ohad Yahalomi's remains were returned to Israel on Wednesday night, his family confirmed after being informed by Israeli authorities.
Terrorists abducted French-Israeli national Ohad from Kibbutz Nir Oz after shooting him in the leg - the then-49-year-old had been attempting to fight off the invading gunmen entering his home. Now 50, Yahalomi is expected to be returned as part of the first phase of a Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement.
On October 7, 2023, after learning of the approaching terrorists, Ohad sealed his wife, Batsheva, and their three children in their saferoom. The room’s door handle had broken, preventing the family from safely locking themselves inside - which led Ohad to sit in front of the door, guarding his family with only a handgun to protect them.
Nos concitoyens Ofer Kalderon et Ohad Yahalomi figurent dans la liste des 33 otages qui doivent être libérés dans la première phase de l'accord de Gaza.Nous restons mobilisés sans relâche pour que leurs familles puissent les retrouver.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 17, 2025
Ohad’s efforts were unable to prevent the terrorists from abducting him and his loved ones - although his wife and two daughters were able to escape before entering Gaza.
"The families of the kidnapped mourn and bow their heads in emmeory of Ohad and share in the heavy sorrow of the Yahlomi family," the Hostage Family Forum said on X.
אוהד הושב הביתה אחרי 510 ימים אוהד יהלומי (50), נחטף כאשר הגן על משפחתו וחבריו בקיבוץ ניר עוז בבוקר ה-7 באוקטובר.אוהד היה פקח ברשות הטבע והגנים שכתב את מדריך השדה ל-21 מיני עקרבים החיים בישראל. אדם צנוע שעסק בחינוך לאהבת הארץ ונהג לקחת את ילדיו וחבריו לטיולי שטח.מטה… pic.twitter.com/ZGpYYIIOwL
— מטה המשפחות להחזרת החטופים והנעדרים (@BringThemHome23) February 27, 2025
Eitan Yahalomi
Batsheva was able to escape capture with two of the children, her 10-year-old and two-year-old daughters, running for hours in pajamas and flipflops until they found safety. 12-year-old son Eitan, who was abducted on a different bike, was taken along with a foreign worker and later released as part of the November deal.
“First, he was beaten, then they put him alone in a cell with bars and he was left alone for 16 days in the custody of armed men from Hamas,” Batsheva told Agence French-Presse. “They forced him to watch films they said they had filmed on October 7, and when he cried, they threatened him with a gun.”
"When he arrived in Gaza, civilians hit him ... he's a 12-year-old child," his aunt, Deborah Cohen, told French media. "I wanted to believe that Eitan would be well treated. Apparently not. Those people are monsters.”
The al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades published footage of Ohad in January 2024, showing him receiving medical treatment.