As part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire agreement, Hamas is expected to return the bodies of seven Israeli soldiers who were captured or killed during the October 7, 2023 attacks. The Israeli army has confirmed the deaths of all seven, while an eighth soldier, Hadar Goldin, killed in 2014, is also expected to be repatriated.
Among those to be returned is Tamir Nimrodi, 18, an Israeli-German soldier captured near the Erez crossing. His family last saw him in a Hamas video shortly after his abduction, and no proof of life has been provided since. His fate remains uncertain, though he is presumed dead.
Sergeant Major Mohammad Alatrash, 39, from the Bedouin Trackers Unit, was confirmed killed near Nahal Oz. A father of 13 from Mulada village, his youngest child was born just a month before the attacks.
Sergeant Itay Chen, 19, a dual Israeli-American citizen, died in combat at the Gaza border. His family last heard from him as the assault began, and his death was confirmed five months later.
Corporal Oz Daniel, also 19, was part of an armoured unit ambushed near Nahal Oz. A musician and optimist, he was posthumously honored after being shown in Hamas footage.
Colonel Assaf Hamami, 40, was the highest-ranking officer captured. Married with three children, he was hailed by Israel’s defence minister as “among the army’s best qualified.”
Omer Neutra, 21, a US-Israeli volunteer, and Daniel Peretz, 22, born in South Africa, complete the list. Both were killed in action and their bodies taken to Gaza.
The repatriation of these soldiers’ remains offers some closure to grieving families after a year of uncertainty and loss, marking another step in the fragile peace process.
