Tal fell in battle against terrorists in Nir Yitzhak - and his body was kidnapped to Gaza. For two months, the family did not know what happened to him. His wife Ella stayed with three children in the MMD, and later gave birth to their son Lotan - whom Tal would never know.
Roy Rubinstein|
The kidnapped Tal Haimi, a member of the Nir Yitzhak readiness squad, was returned to Israel last night (Monday). He left behind his wife Ella and their four children, including Lotan, who was born after October 7th - who will never get to know his father.
The late Tal Chaimi (courtesy of the Abductees' Families Headquarters)
The military ceremony held upon receiving the coffin (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
The headquarters of the families for the return of the kidnapped said that the late Tal Chaimi was a third generation of the founders of Nir Yitzhak and a fourth generation of its residents. He worked as a mechanical engineer and, as mentioned, was also a member of the kibbutz's emergency response team. Tal loved taking the family on nature trips and camping in the field, was an avid lover of tools, and always knew how to provide a solution to any problem that arose.
On the morning of October 7, he went out to fight dozens of terrorists in a battle at the gate of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. Tal and the rest of the alert platoon fought with supreme heroism for several hours, and during the battle Tal fell and was kidnapped to Gaza. At first, the family thought Tal was alive, but after two months they received the bitter news that he had been kidnapped while he was still alive.
On Saturday night, his wife Ella spoke at the Kidnapped Square, saying at the time that", we, 251 families, were thrown into a struggle we did not ask for. President Trump understood well what the people living in Zion want - all the kidnapped at home, the living and the dead. He understood - and he carried it out. We are in a rare window of time: the mediators are with us, we have end-to-end support, and the public is with us. But the window may close. The government must use all the tools at its disposal to pressure Hamas until it returns the last dead."
Ella Chaimi with her son Lotan, who will not know his father (Photo: Herzl Yosef)
The IDF stated that"according to the information and intelligence available to us, Maj. (res.) Tal Haimi, the late commander of the Nir Yitzhak readiness squad, fell in battle defending the kibbutz on the morning of October 7th and his body was kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organization. Tal Haimi, 41 years old at the time of his death, was pronounced dead on December 13, 2023. He left behind a wife, four children, a father and a sister."
The Prime Minister's Office announced earlier that "after completing the identification process by the National Center for Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, IDF representatives informed the family of the abducted Major Tal Chaimi, the late, that their loved one had been returned to Israel and his identification had been completed."
"The Israeli government shares in the deep sorrow of the Haimi family and all the families of the fallen hostages. The government and the entire Israeli security forces are determined, committed and working tirelessly to return all of our fallen hostages for a proper burial in their country. The Hamas terrorist organization is required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them within the framework of implementing the agreement. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen hostages, down to the last one. May his memory be blessed."
Now, with his identification, 15 abductees remain in the Strip: Sergeant Itai Chen, Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, Tamir Adar, Dror Or, Sahar Baruch, Major Ran Gueili, Manny Goddard, Sergeant Oz Daniel, Aryeh Zalmanovich, Colonel Assaf Hammi, Joshua Luito Molal, Omar Nawtra, Amiram Cooper, Lior Rudaif and Sontisc Rintalk.
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