Bedouin soldier and young woman who fought back: hostages’ bodies returned from Gaza

The bodies of two hostages returned from Gaza on Wednesday night were positively identified as Bedouin soldier Sgt. Maj. Muhammad el-Atrash and Inbar Hayman, the last female hostage.

El-Atrash, 39, was a tracker in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade and one of the IDF’s most experienced Bedouin soldiers. He was killed fighting Hamas gunmen near Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken into Gaza. For months, his fate remained uncertain until the army confirmed in June 2024 — based on new evidence and intelligence — that he had fallen in battle.

The eldest of 23 siblings, el-Atrash was known for his commitment to both his family and his service. He first enlisted in 2003 and built a long career as a tracker, a specialty largely filled by Bedouin soldiers whose desert expertise is invaluable along Israel’s borders.

According to the IDF, he is survived by his parents, 22 siblings, two wives, Amna and Ktimal, and 13 children, the youngest born only weeks before his death. His relatives said they were shown footage confirming that his body had been taken to Gaza.

Hayman, 27, from Herzliya, was working in a welfare role at the Nova music festival when Hamas attacked at dawn on October 7. As gunfire erupted, she hid beneath the main stage before attempting to flee by car and then on foot. Eyewitnesses said that while escaping, she stopped to help another woman struggling to run from two armed terrorists on a motorcycle.

The terrorists caught up to Hayman, but she resisted being captured. Witnesses later told investigators that she was shot after fighting back, and her body was taken to Gaza. Initially listed among the living hostages, the IDF concluded in December 2023 that she was killed that day.

Around 1,200 people killed that day and 252 Israelis and foreigners were abducted. The bodies of 21 more hostages remain in Gaza.