More than nine months after they were murdered on October 7, the IDF on Wednesday returned to Israel the bodies of hostages Maya Goren and Oren Goldin. After their families were informed, announcements were made by the Nir Oz and Nir Yitzhak kibbutzim.
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Omer Goldin, Maya Goren, Tomer Ahimas and Kiril Brodski
(Photos: Courtesy of the families, IDF)
Maya Goren cared for the kibbutz's children
Nir Oz's announcement states that Maya Goren "will return to the land of the kibbutz she loved and will be buried next to her husband Avner Goren, who was also murdered and abandoned on the Black Shabbat." Goren, 56, a mother of four, worked as a kindergarten teacher and nanny and took care of the kibbutz children for many years. She was murdered and kidnapped from the children's home on the kibbutz on October 7. "The recovery of her body by the security forces is an important closure for the Goren family and the community of Kibbutz Nir Oz," said the kibbutz.
"Bringing her back for burial is a meaningful stage in the rehabilitation of the kibbutz and the country, which will never be complete until all of the hostages are home, the dead to be buried and those alive to be healed," the statement said.
"Dad told us on WhatsApp that the terrorists entered their home and he fought them as they tried to force their way into the shelter," Goren's daughter Dekel told Ynet in an interview.
"My last conversation with my mom was when she said they had entered the nursery and that she was hiding under a bead. Ten minutes later her phone was disconnected," son Bar said.
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Maya Goren with Kfir Bibas, who was also taken hostage with his mother and brother
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
A week after the massacre they were told officially that their parents were taken hostage and were in Gaza. Days later word came that their father's body was identified and, still, they were informed that their mother was also murdered.
Oren Goldin left behind two-year-old twins
Goldin, 33, a member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak who was identified as a hostage, was murdered in the massacre on October 7, and his body was held by Hamas, his family was updated on November 10, 2023. Goldin, married to Oshrat and father to Aviv and Ilai, two-year-old twins, ran the garage in the kibbutz. He grew up in Nir Yitzhak and chose to raise his family there alongside his parents and brothers.
Goldin was a member of the settlement's emergency security squad, which fought bravely against dozens of terrorists and protected the residents with their own bodies.
Nir Yitzhak's statement read: "Tonight we were informed of the rescue operation of Oren Goldin, a member of the kibbutz's emergency security squad, who fell on October 7. Oren was the first to go out that terrible morning, even before we knew how serious was the danger lurking outside. In November, after about a month and a half, we were hoping for a sign of life, we were told that Oren was killed on 10/7 and that his body was being held captive. For almost 10 months we wished for the day when his body would be buried in the home he loved so much, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. He left behind a large and loving family - we are with you in your heavy sorrow."
Tomer fought bravely on October 7 and fell in battles in Nirim
Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas fell on October 7. Some 53 days after the surprise attack by Hamas, the IDF announced that the terrorist organization was holding his body hostage in Gaza. Ahimas, 20, from Lehavim, was a brigade commander's liaison officer. "You never needed me to protect you, you knew how to manage on your own," his older brother Eyal eulogized him at the time. "Sorry Tomer, for the one moment in your life when you needed it I wasn't there to protect you."
His sister Maya spoke at his funeral about the longing and the attempt to return him home. "We have been going through hell for 54 days. We became a family of a hostage, and yesterday of a fallen soldier. I tried to hold hope with all the people, hold up signs with your face and beautiful eyes, to sit on sidewalks in the Hostages Square, shout with all my might. So many people prayed for you, for us, that the script would end differently."