Oldest hostage taken on October 7 among two deceased returned to Israel Tuesday

People take part in a rally at Tel Aviv's "Hostages Square" demanding the returning of the deceased hostages still in Gaza on October 18. (Francisco Seco/AP/File via CNN Newsource)

The oldest hostage taken on October 7, 2023, was among the remains of two of the deceased handed over by Hamas on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) identified the two hostages as Arye Zalmanovich and Tamir Adar.

Zalmanovich was abducted alive from his house at Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel and is thought to have been killed in captivity on Nov. 17, 2023, at the age of 85.

He was the oldest hostage taken by Hamas, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, describing him as “a tough and modest man who demanded nothing for himself.” The kibbutz said he was one of the founders of the community.

Tamir Adar, also from Kibbutz Nir Oz, died fighting to defend it against Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and his body was taken to Gaza, the IDF said. He was 38 at the time.

“Those close to him describe him as sociable and beloved, a thoughtful and sensitive conversationalist with a keen sense of humour,” the families’ forum said.

Two coffins carrying the remains of the deceased hostages crossed the border into Israel earlier on Tuesday and were taken to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine for identification and to investigate the causes of death.

They are the 14th and 15th deceased hostages to be transferred to Israel since the U.S.-proposed ceasefire deal was signed on Oct. 9. Under the deal, Hamas is supposed to return 28.

The IDF asked the public to act with “sensitivity and wait for official identification, which will first be communicated to the families of the deceased hostages.”

“Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” the IDF said in an earlier statement.

Under the Trump administration’s ceasefire agreement, Hamas was supposed to return all the living and deceased hostages within the first 72 hours of the ceasefire going into effect. Israeli intelligence has assessed that Hamas may not be able to find and return all the remaining dead hostages in Gaza.

Hamas has said “significant efforts and special equipment” are needed to recover the bodies in Gaza. One of the bodies handed over by Hamas under the agreement last week did not belong to an Israeli hostage, according to the Israeli military.

Initial assessments at the time suggested Hamas misidentified the body rather than intentionally sending the wrong one, an Israeli source said.

‘Not going to happen overnight’

The latest hostage release comes hours after U.S. Vice President JD Vance touched down in Israel and the Trump administration moves to implement the next phase of its ceasefire plan.

Over the weekend, Israel and Hamas affirmed their commitment to the ceasefire deal after Israel accused Hamas of carrying out an attack that killed two IDF soldiers, prompting waves of airstrikes.

Hamas and the Israeli military have each accused the other of violations.

Vance on Tuesday downplayed concerns about the fragility of the ceasefire but declined to put a timeline on the return of all deceased hostages and Hamas’ complete disarmament.

“It is a focus of everybody here to get those bodies back home to their families, so that they can have a proper burial. Now, that said, this is difficult. This is not going to happen overnight,” Vance said at a press conference in Israel.

The U.S. vice president also said some of the deceased hostages are “buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to get them.”