Ohad Yahalomi will not return home. The last Franco-Israeli hostage died in captivity. He will not have had time to see his family again, unlike his companion in misfortune Ofer Kalderon. “There is no why here”wrote Primo Levi. Injustice is a law of the world and man suffering his prey. His body was given Thursday to Israel in the utmost discretion, far from the macabre and humiliating staging that Hamas systematically organized. The Hebrew state demanded that they stop.
Since he was torn from his family, few French media and political parties have taken the trouble to talk about Ohad Yahalomi. In Israel, a worthy tribute was paid to him. His name will not be forgotten. No more than those of Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlom Mantzur. The bodies of these three Israeli hostages, who died in captivity, were returned alongside his. Contacted, Joshua Laurent Zarka, Ambassador of Israel to France, says he is saddened. “We expected, but we wanted to believe an error. »» Will a tribute been paid to him? “The family will decide. We will support their will, whatever it is. »»
“We stole his freedom from him”
Ohad Yahalomi had been removed on October 7, 2023 in his house in Kibbutz Nir Oz. On that day, this 50-year-old father stood guard, armed with a pistol, in front of the door of the secure room where his wife Batsheva and their three children had taken refuge. He wanted to protect them. When the terrorists burst out, Ohad was touched on the leg by ball and attended, helpless, the abduction of his family. Batsheva and their daughters, Yaël, 10 years old, and Liel, 1 year old, were embarked on a moped, while their son, Eitan, 12, was taken to another. On the way to Gaza, motorcycles have taken different directions. By a stroke of fate, Batsheva, Yaël and Liel were able to escape. Eitan was released after 52 days of captivity on November 27, 2023, during a temporary truce. Ohad, for his part, was still alive before being executed by Hamas. “It reveals the barbarism of this organization and the stupidity of supporters who support it”estimates Joshua Zarka.
After months of uncertainty, silence gives way to a cruel reality
Until now, the Yahalomi family hung on to the hope of once again seeing Ohad living. After months of uncertainty, silence gives way to a cruel reality. A few months ago, the Tangwall Campagin met Effie Yahalomi, Ohad’s sister. Installed in the United States, she had never spoke in the French press. Upset by the kidnapping of her brother, she had abandoned everything to devote herself entirely to the cause of hostages. “Ohad is of rare humanity”she told us. “We stole his freedom from him. These are civilians in question, hostages, not prisoners of war. »» On October 7, Effie attended the ceremony organized by CRIF in tribute to the victims of attacks and support for still captive hostages in Paris. Alongside her sister-in-law Batsheva, she continued to hope for reunion. The wait ends, and with it, the illusion of a return.
