“The Israeli government shares the deep sorrow of the families of Heyman and al-Atarash, as well as all the families of the deceased abductees,” the OUM said.
The National Center for Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir confirmed that Inbar Heiman and Staff Sgt. Muhammad al-Atarash there were these two deceased hostages returned to Israel on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister's Office said Thursday morning.
“The Israeli government shares the deep sorrow of the families of Hayman and al-Atarash, as well as all families fallen kidnapped“, stated the PMO.
A forensic investigation determined that Heyman was killed during the October 7, 2023 massacre, and her remains were taken to the Gaza Strip.
She was 27 years old at the time and attended the Nova Music Festival. She was declared murdered on December 15, 2023, leaving behind her parents and brother.
M. Sergeant. Atarash was a tracker in an IDF brigade in the Gaza Strip. He fell in battle on October 7, 2023, he was 39 years old. He was survived by his parents, brothers and sisters, two wives and 13 children.
An Israeli police convoy transports the remains of Inbar Heyman and Muhammad al-Atarash to the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, October 15, 2025. (Photo: ISRAELI POLICE)
The identification process was carried out through coordination with the Israeli police and the military rabbinate.
Hostage Families Forum, Defense Secretary Katz Praises Killed Hostages
On Thursday morning, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum released statements praising Heyman and Atarash.
Hayman was “talented, loving and inclusive, with a spirit of endless generosity,” the forum wrote.
Relatives noted that she was “full of creativity and full of joy for life.” She studied film art in high school and over the years has developed a reputation as a “respected graffiti artist with a unique style.”
Thanks to her graffiti, she was known by the nicknames “Pink” and “Raven”, which led to the slogan “Free Pink” being used as a call for her release after the massacre.
Hayman was present at the Nova Festival as a “helper” who supported dancers who were not feeling well.
Atarash was described as a “serious guy who cared about everyone”, with a special love for animals, especially the horses he bred.
His dream, they wrote on the forum, was to create his own horse farm.
Defense Minister Israel Katz also praised the two slain hostages in a post on X/Twitter.
Katz described Heyman as “a true heroine who fought the Hamas killers” and whose family “fought desperately for her return.”
He stated that her relatives told him about her talent for graffiti, her service as commander of the IDF's Caracal Battalion and the future she wanted to build.
He also wrote about how Atarash's father and brother accompanied him to numerous meetings with world leaders both in Israel and abroad to share the story of Muhammad.
He recounted how, during the visit of the Belgian Foreign Minister to Kibbutz Nir Oz, Atarash's brother asked her to secure the release of the hostages and “nobly” asked her to first release the kidnapped women, not yet knowing for sure that his brother had been killed.
Katz concluded by affirming that Israel is “committed to bringing home all hostages and fallen.”
Proper funeral in your country
“The government and the entire Israeli Public Security Bureau are determined, committed and working tirelessly to return all of our fallen abductees for proper burial in their own country,” the PM said in a statement, adding that Hamas is obligated to fulfill its part of the ongoing ceasefire and hostage agreement.
The terrorist organization was obliged to return all hostages, both living and dead. However, so far There are still 19 dead hostages in the Gaza Strip.
News of the identification of Heyman and Atarash follows news on Thursday evening that the remains of the two deceased hostages had been taken to the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir for identification.
Previously, the Red Cross had brought the remains to Israel from captivity in Gaza after Hamas's armed wing, the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, announced it would hand over the remains.
So far, in addition to the living hostages, Hamas has returned to Israel the remains of nine deceased hostages.
Before Heyman and Atarash, the returning dead hostages were Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, Daniel Peretz, Uriel Baruch, Staff Sergeant Tamir Nimrodi and Eitan Levi.
