October 7 · Personal story
Yotam Haim
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kfar Aza kibbutz, southern Israel
Current outcome
Returned for burial · December 15, 2023
Killed by Israeli troops in Shejaiya on December 15, 2023, after escaping captivity and approaching soldiers for help.
01
A drummer from Kfar Aza
Yotam Haim lived in Kfar Aza and played drums in a heavy-metal band. His mother, Iris, described music as part of his life and remembered him as someone whose humor and laughter filled their home. He was 28 when he was taken from the kibbutz.
02
Taken from Kfar Aza
Yotam had packed his drums and cymbals for a performance in Tel Aviv on October 7. After rehearsing the night before, he decided to return to his apartment in Kfar Aza. When the attack began, he was alone in the protected room. At first, his social-media videos showed him joking and drumming; as gunfire drew closer, his messages told his family that he was frightened and could smell smoke. In the last messages recorded by KAN at 10:44, he told them he loved them if he did not survive. Hamas attackers took him from the kibbutz to Gaza.
03
Together in captivity
Yotam’s family later heard from Vician Tamtong, a Thai worker who had been held with him and was released after 53 days. In the family’s account, Haim learned Thai from Vician, shared the little food and water available, and tried to ease Vician’s burden. The family also remembered Haim tapping rhythms on the floor while fellow captive Alon Shamriz sang; the two lifted each other’s spirits. The same account says Haim was dealing with severe back pain and received medication.
04
The December 15 approach
The Haim family account says the three escaped captivity on December 10 after their captors were killed in a clash with Israeli troops. Left in Shejaiya, they moved between buildings while trying to reach Israeli forces. The IDF inquiry separately says troops found a handwritten “Help” note near a tunnel shaft that day and suspected it was an ambush attempt. On December 14, drone footage recorded “SOS” and “Help, 3 hostages” on a building about 200 meters from the later shooting site. On December 15, the inquiry says troops mistook three shirtless men, one carrying a makeshift white flag, for a threat and shot two. Haim ran to a nearby building. After he called out in Hebrew, a commander ordered a cease-fire and called for him to approach; two soldiers who did not hear the order shot him as he emerged.
05
A family’s loss
The Haim family remembers his laughter, music and the person they missed. The National Insurance Institute records his death and return to Israel on December 15, 2023. The Times of Israel reported that he was buried at Kibbutz Gvulot on December 18.