The two bodies returned to Israel on Wedenesday night have been identified as thise of hostages Inbar Hayman and Sergeant Major Muhammad al-Atrash.
Inbar Hayman, 27, was from Haifa. She was a talented girl, full of love and inclusion with infinite giving. She served as an officer in the IDF Caracal Brigade for three years.
Her relatives say she was brimming with creativity and full of joy for life. Inbar studied in the film track in high school, and over the years became a respected graffiti artist with a unique style. In the art world she was known by the nicknames Pink and Raven, and her paintings were displayed in exhibitions in various countries. After her kidnapping, the slogan "Free Pink" called for her release and was written on walls, flags, and clothing throughout Israel and the world. Inbar and her partner Noam met while studying Visual Communication at the Wizo Haifa Academic Center, and they were supposed to start their fourth year of studies together. Inbar came to the Nova Festival as a "helper"-supporting dancers who weren't feeling well-and from there she was kidnapped. On December 16, 2023, her family was informed that Inbar had been murdered in Hamas captivity. Inbar is survived by two parents and a brother.
Her family mourned, "We always wanted to bring her home so that we could begin to pick up the pieces. We're not sure that we can recover from such a disaster."
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav eulogized her, "Inbar was part of the Haifa landscape in her life, and she will continue and will continue to be so even after her murder and her burial. An artist at heart and soul, talented, creative, full of life, who was cut down so young by murderers and left a huge void."
Sergeant Major Muhammad Al-Atarash, 39, from the Sawe tribe, Al-Atarash clan, served as a tracker in the Northern Division of the Gaza Brigade. His family describes him as a serious guy who cared for everyone. Since he was a child, he loved animals and especially the horses he raised. His dream was to establish a proper horse farm. Muhammad fell in combat defending the Gaza Division, and was kidnapped. He left behind two wives, 13 children - the youngest born a month before he was kidnapped - nine brothers, and thirteen sisters.
His funeral is expected to take place in the Sawe burial plot today at 13:00.
Nimr, his brother, said in an interview to Ynet after the body was returned to Israel that "this is a closure for him and for us".
He added: "At least he has a grave. He was a brave man, even in the tribe - a man of responsibility and family. He was a leader, the whole family used to consult him as an elder brother. The circle is finally closed. The last two years have been hard for us, sometimes we did not know whether he was alive or dead."
Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed his condolences to the families. He noted that members of Mohammed's family, Ibrahim and Salem, accompanied him on meetings with world leaders in order to tell his story.
"Inbar was a special person and a true heroine who fought the Hamas murderers. Her parents Haim and Yifat and her aunt Hannah fought valiantly for her return. In a number of meetings I had with them I heard about her talent for graffiti art, her service in the IDF as a commander in Caracal and the future she wanted to build."