Tamir Adar, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz, fought bravely to defend his home and kibbutz against Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre in 2023. Tamir left his home on the morning of October 7, with his final message to his wife saying: “Don’t open [the door] to anybody, even if it is me asking you to open.”
The kibbutz announced in January 2024 that the family was notified by the IDF of Tamir’s murder by his captors, who continued to hold his remains in Gaza for over two years. Tamir was 38 years old at the time of his death and is survived by his wife, Hadas, and their two children.
Tamir’s grandmother, Yaffa Adar, was also taken hostage on October 7 and released as part of the first release of children and elderly hostages in November 2023.
Hostage mother's message to Israel's leaders
In an op-ed written for The Jerusalem Post in September marking the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah, Tamir’s mother, Yael Adar, made a plea for Israeli decision-makers to return all the hostages, living and deceased, home.
“My son Tamir was kidnapped from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz while his wife, Hadas, and children, Asaf and Neta, were in the safe room,” she wrote.
“He tried to protect them and his community from the brutal attack by Hamas terrorists and Palestinian civilians. Tamir was severely wounded, kidnapped, and did not survive. For nearly two years, I have waited for my son to return to his homeland, where he was born and raised, the place where he could not be protected, where he was attacked.
“I understand that any deal to bring back all the hostages is complicated, but I never dreamed my son would lie in foreign soil for nearly two years while decision-makers don’t prioritize his return,” she added in the op-ed written prior to the agreement on a Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.
According to Nir Oz, Tamir was “a family man, a lover of people and nature, and a devoted Maccabi Tel Aviv supporter who was always surrounded by friends.