From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Family of Yair Yaakov, slain hostage whose body was recovered, thanks IDF and calls for remaining captives’ return
The family of slain hostage Yair Yaakov, whose body was recovered from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday by Israeli troops and returned to Israel for burial, eulogizes him and calls for the return of all remaining hostages.
“My father came home, but not as we dreamed. Dad was a simple man with a huge heart,” says Yagil Yaakov, the slain captive’s son.
“He loved the land of our country, the fields, nature, and the small, simple things in life. He always taught us to appreciate what we have, to smile, to be happy, and to try to be content—even when it’s hard.”
Yagil adds: “We also want to remind everyone that there are still 53 hostages who are waiting to return home. We pray that each and every one of them will return soon to their families.”
The slain hostage’s partner, Meirav Tal, mourns “my Yaya, my partner, my best friend,” adding: “We had a loving, flourishing, and happy home. Just the evening before [October 7], we celebrated Yaya’s 59th birthday.”
Tal was kidnapped by terrorists alongside Yaakov and his two children from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught and was later released as part of a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and the terror group.
She extends “enormous thanks to the IDF, to the angels in uniform — whom I love so much. With endless dedication — they acted and brought Yaya back. Words cannot describe my appreciation and love for them. Thanks to them, I felt embraced, protected, not alone.”
Renana Gome, the mother of Yair’s children, says the state and its security services “fulfilled your moral duty—something that sadly can no longer be taken for granted.”
“This duty—also a right and a sacred responsibility—applies to all the hostages still held in terrible conditions. Those who are still alive, whose families count every second in agony, and those who have been killed, whose families are still waiting. Waiting for peace. Waiting to begin the mourning process that remains on hold,” she says.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 53 hostages, including 52 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 31 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said.
The Times of Israel Community.