October 7 · Personal story
Ohad Yahalomi
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Nir Oz
Current outcome
Returned for burial · February 27, 2025
His body was returned to Israel on February 27, 2025; he was buried in Nir Oz on March 5.
01
Life before
Ohad Yahalomi was born in Eilat in 1974. At age four he moved with his family to Moshav Sdot in Sinai; after the 1982 evacuation, his parents established a farm in Moshav Dekel. His family remembered a mischievous, funny child who loved riding tractors and exploring. He built a career around nature, field work and conservation. He joined the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in 2006 and later led the Green Patrol in the south, taking that role in 2019. He studied geography and completed a master’s degree with honors. With Yoram Zvik he prepared a field guide to scorpions. He also volunteered at Adi Negev. Colleagues and family remembered his humor and deep knowledge of the landscape. He and Bat Sheva raised three children in Nir Oz: Ethan, Yael and a younger daughter.
02
October 7
On October 7, 2023, Ohad and his family took shelter in the safe room of their Nir Oz home. The door would not lock. Ohad stepped out to protect his family and was shot in the leg when attackers entered. The KAN family timeline describes the family being forced from the room at gunpoint and taken toward Gaza on two motorcycles. Before the motorcycles departed, a captor transferred the crying baby into Bat Sheva’s hands. Near the border, an Israeli tank appeared and the motorcycle carrying Bat Sheva and the girls fell. After hiding and evading attackers in the fields for about three hours, they reached the Nirlat factory area at 13:37 and were evacuated by bus, according to the family timeline. Ohad was taken separately, wounded, at about 11 a.m. His son Ethan was also taken on another motorcycle.
03
Captivity
Ohad was taken to Gaza wounded, apart from Bat Sheva and the girls. His son Ethan was held separately and released after 52 days. A video of Ohad, bandaged and speaking to camera, was published on January 19, 2024; its filming date is not known. The National Insurance Institute records his death on January 19, 2024. The video’s publication date does not establish that he was alive that day.
04
Return
The National Insurance Institute records Ohad’s death on January 19, 2024. His body was returned to Israel on February 27, 2025, according to the memorial record and the Nature and Parks Authority. His funeral took place in Nir Oz on March 5.
05
Aftermath
His mother Esti spoke at the funeral, and his colleagues from the Nature and Parks Authority accompanied the procession. Family members remembered his humor and love for his children; colleagues recalled the conservation work and southern landscapes to which he devoted his career.