Hundreds at funeral of Tal Haimi after body’s return from Gaza

Hundreds of mourners gather in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak to attend the funeral of Tal Haimi, whose body was returned to Israel on Monday night after having been held by Hamas in Gaza for over two years.

Haimi, 41, the head of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s civil defense squad, was killed while defending his community on October 7, 2023. His body was abducted to the Gaza Strip.

He and other members of the rapid response team battled the invading terrorists at the entrance to the kibbutz until he was shot dead. In December 2023, Tal’s family was informed based on intelligence that he had been killed on October 7 and his body taken hostage. His family had previously held a funeral for him, but awaited his body.

Tal is survived by his wife, Ela, and their four children, Nir, Einav, Udi, and Lotan. Lotan was born in May 2024, seven months after Tal was killed.

עשרות תושבי המועצה האזורית אשכול וחבריו של טל חיימי ז"ל מלווים את השיירה לקראת הלוויתו בקיבוץ ניר יצחק. התושבים עומדים עם דגלים ושלטים בצומת הקיבוץ ובשער הכניסה@shapira_nitzan pic.twitter.com/nQlhm6SMQw

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) October 22, 2025