Remains of last female Hamas hostage and IDF soldier handed over to Israel

Israel announced Thursday that it had received the body of Inbar Hayman, the last female hostage remaining in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its intelligence indicated that Hayman was murdered at the Nova festival during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and that her body was taken into Gaza. She was declared deceased on Dec. 15, 2023. Hayman was 27 years old at the time of her death. Hayman is survived by her parents and brother.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a statement from Hayman’s family after her body was publicly identified.

“This is a feeling that cannot be described, joy mingled with profound sadness. Now Inbar will receive the rest and honor she so deeply deserves. We are certain that if Inbar were here with us today, she would urge us to continue fighting for all 19 of her fellow hostages who remain in captivity,” Hayman’s family said.

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“Our Inbar, salt of the earth, served as a commander in the Caracal Battalion for three years. We salute you and ask the entire public to come and honor you. A hero of Israel,” the family added.

Hayman was known as PINK, a talented graffiti artist. Her family is asking the public to wear pink to her funeral and even put out her funeral information in pink writing as opposed to the traditional black lettering.

In Israel, the funerals of hostages and deceased soldiers are often open to the public.

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The body of Sgt. Maj. Muhammad Al-Atresh was also delivered to Israel on Thursday. Al-Atresh served as an IDF tracker, a position that is almost exclusively held by Bedouin Israelis, according to The Times of Israel.

Like Hayman, Al-Atresh was killed during the Oct. 7 massacre and his body was taken hostage in Gaza. Israel declared Al-Atresh deceased on June 24, 2024. Al-Atresh leaves behind his parents, nine brothers, 13 sisters, two wives and 13 children, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Both the IDF and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called on Hamas to fulfill its obligation to turn over all deceased hostages.

Following the release of Hayman and Altresh’s remains, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum repeated its call for Hamas to return all the deceased hostages’ remains. So far, in addition to Hayman and Al-Atresh, the remains of Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, Uriel Baruch, Eitan Levi, Yossi Sharabi, Cpt. Daniel Peretz, Bipin Joshi and Guy Iluz have been returned to Israel.

The remains of 19 deceased hostages remain in Gaza, including U.S. citizens Itay Chen, 19, and Omer Neutra, 21. One of the bodies in Gaza is that of Hadar Goldin, who was killed in 2014. His mother, Leah, has been fighting for more than a decade to give her son a proper burial.