A mother to all she met: Loved ones mourn passing of released hostage Hannah Katzir

'Her heart couldn’t withstand the unbearable pain since October 7,' Carmit Palty Katzir, Hannah's daughter, said.

By EVE YOUNG, JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 24, 2024 17:38 Updated: DECEMBER 24, 2024 18:23

Charred building in Kibbutz Nir Oz (photo credit: YAEL YOLOVITCH/IAA)

Hannah Katzir, taken captive during the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz and released in the November 2023 hostage deal, died at the age of 76, the kibbutz said on Tuesday.

Katzir’s husband, Rami, was killed in the attack. Her son Elad was murdered in captivity and his body was recovered in April.

Katzir was described by friends and family as being a woman with a “huge heart” who would always give to others.

“Mom was a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a woman who embodied pure love,” her daughter Carmit Palty Katzir said.

“Her heart couldn’t withstand the unbearable pain since October 7. Each day our loved ones remain in captivity puts their lives at greater risk. We must act now to secure a comprehensive agreement to bring back all 100 of our brothers and sisters,” she added.

Hannah Katzir, one of the hostages released by Hamas back to Israel on Friday night. (credit: Bring Them Home Now)

The biggest heart

“Our mother embraced everyone in her heart. The biggest place in the world, and even it is broken.”

Katzir worked as a kindergarten teacher for many years in the kibbutz, and her acquaintances described her and Rami, as “a dynamic duo; an inseparable couple.”

“Hannah Katzir was the legendary caregiver at the daycare center; Tamir loved her both in his childhood and adulthood,” said Yael Adar – whose son Tamir was killed in Hamas captivity – in a post on Facebook.

“Hannah was always moved by Tamir, and every time we met, she would tell me how excited she was that grown-up Tamir never forgot her, smiled at her, and cared about her well-being. ‘What a child... I love him so much. You succeeded,’ she would say.

“How my heart is crushed. Hannah, rest in peace... All the memories with Hannah reflect the magnitude of the loss for Nir Oz, of the past, of a routine stolen from us. Hannah will no longer walk the paths, will no longer meet Tamir, and will no longer say how wonderful he is. And all that remains is to bring [all the hostages] back – everyone, down to the very last one,” she added.

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Other members of the community took to Facebook to mourn Katzir’s passing and celebrate who she was in her life.

“You always saw the bright side of each and every person’s heart,” Adi Belassen said on Tuesday.

“No matter how much time passed between chance encounters on the kibbutz paths, with Hannah, everything always returned to the starting point. A continuous déjà vu of questions and remarks I could anticipate in advance, yet I always wanted to hear them from you.  Whenever I came to visit, I always looked forward to that encounter.

“As a longtime worker in the kibbutz commune, Hannah always remembered all my clothes and would tell me every time I came to visit my mom, who worked with her, that she had taken care of my clothes and they were waiting for me in my locker (number 337, blue),” he added.

“And if there was a piece of clothing I hadn’t marked with my number, she would recognize it and tell me. ‘Adidush, I think you have a piece of clothing you didn’t mark with your number. I set it aside for you here. Go put a number on it.’

“Hannah was a mother. Simply a mother. To everyone who crossed her path. And I crossed her path often.”