Kibbutz Nir Oz announced this evening (Thursday) that Yair Yaakov, 59, who was kidnapped on October 7, was murdered by Hamas the day of his kidnapping and the terrorist organization still holds his body.
Yair leaves behind three children: Shir (21), Or (17) and Vigil (13). His two youngest children were also kidnapped on October 7 from their mother's house and released in November. His partner Meirav Tal was kidnapped together with him and was also released in November.
The terrorists used grenades to breach the door to Yair's safe room in order to kidnap him and Meirav.
The kibbutz stated that Yair was “a humble, simple man who loved family, land, and music.”
The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum headquarters stated that “Yair was a family man with a huge heart, always willing to help everyone. He was energetic and loved enjoying life."