For over two years, almost nothing had been known of the fate of 20-year-old Tamir Nimrodi. On Wednesday morning, it was announced that his remains were identified among the four deceased hostages returned Tuesday night.
The last time he was seen, Tamir was being forced into the back of a terrorist’s jeep wearing only his pajamas, missing his glasses and shoes.
The Nimrodi family is the only hostage family not to be told if their loved one will be returning alive or not, Tamir’s mother, Herut, told BBC News earlier this week. The family previously shared that there was serious concern for his welfare.
The video of Tamir’s abduction on October 7, 2023, had been discovered on social media by his 14-year-old sister, only 20 minutes after he texted his mother from his base in Erez that ”there are rockets and it’s non-stop” and that he would be returning home soon.
“My youngest daughter – she was 14 at the time – came screaming that she had seen her brother being abducted on Instagram,” Herut recalled. “I saw Tamir wearing his pajamas. He was barefoot. He had no glasses on. He can hardly see without them. He was terrified.”
The then-18-year-old education officer, who spent much of his service helping to arrange humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, was kidnapped along with Ron Sherman and Nik Beizer, both of whom were mistakenly killed during an IDF strike.
Before his abduction
Before his abduction, Tamir was a loving brother to Mika and Amit and a valued member of his community, where he made it his personal mission to support lone soldiers. His role as an education officer was deeply meaningful for him, Herut has told Israeli media, as he spent much of his life struggling with ADHD.
Herut told The Sun that her son carried a note in his pocket, reading “to succeed in helping a lot of people, to create a close circle of friends, and not to harm anyone,” which he used to support his daily affirmations.
Known for his thoughtful nature, Tamir had a love of trivia, quizzes, and cooking.