October 7 · Personal story
Tsachi Idan
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Nahal Oz
Current outcome
Returned for burial · February 27, 2025
His body was returned to Israel on February 27, 2025, and he was buried at Kibbutz Einat beside Maayan the next day.
01
Before October 7
Tsachi was born and raised in Nahal Oz, the oldest of his siblings. After military service he left the kibbutz, then returned in 2009 with Gali and their two older daughters; their two younger children were born there. He worked in high tech as a software engineer for the Tabit restaurant app. Movies, soccer, volleyball and tennis filled his free time. Hapoel Tel Aviv was his team: he held season tickets near Gate 7 and brought his children to matches. His brother remembered him sharing jokes, advice, beer or black coffee on the porch, and help whenever someone needed it.
02
October 7
On October 7, Tsachi sheltered in the family safe room at Nahal Oz with Gali and their children who were home; Sharon was away visiting relatives. Maayan helped him hold the door shut. Attackers fired through it, killing Maayan, who had just turned 18. They held Gali and the younger children in the house and broadcast the scene from Gali’s phone. After hours, they took Tsachi to Gaza. His goodbye to Sharon by phone was brief: he said they were in trouble, promised to call later, and told her he loved her.
03
Captivity
Tsachi was held in Gaza. During the November 2023 exchange, his family expected him to be released; at his funeral, childhood friend Roni Litvak said he had been due for release before the pause ended. Freed hostage Hagar Brodutch said she had been held with him until shortly before her own release. Israeli authorities later determined that Tsachi was killed in captivity on December 4, 2023. His family kept waiting for the moment he could return to the home and children he had left behind.
04
Return
Tsachi’s body was returned to Israel on February 27, 2025, after 509 days. The return brought an end to the family’s wait for his fate to be confirmed and made a burial possible. The following day, his funeral journey began at Bloomfield Stadium, where red-clad Hapoel Tel Aviv supporters gathered before the procession continued to Kibbutz Einat.
05
Aftermath
Tsachi was buried on February 28 at Kibbutz Einat, beside Maayan. His family remembered him through the things they had shared: matches with his daughters, conversations on the porch, movies, sport and the familiar help he offered. Gali and their children Sharon, Yael and Shahar survived him, as did his mother and siblings. Hapoel’s stadium and the family’s chosen route gave his farewell a place in the community he had followed throughout his life.