A photo of Elyaniv Barda, former Israeli soccer star and current manager of Hapoel Tel Aviv, which was always kept in the ID booklet of Yair Horn, became a key piece of evidence proving that he had been kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz to Gaza. It also helped trace the route he was taken to the Gaza Strip, as first reported by Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet.
Iair, 46, a devoted fan of Hapoel Be’er Sheva where Barda played in his prime, is an admirer of the retired forward and consistently kept a photo of him in his ID booklet. During the search for him following the events of October 7, the booklet was found damaged, but Barda’s photo remained intact. This discovery quickly led Iair’s family to understand that he had been taken to Gaza.
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On Saturday, after nearly 500 days in captivity in Gaza, the circle was finally closed when Iair returned. His brother Amos, also a Hapoel Be’er Sheva fan, along with their mother Ruti, arrived at the meeting point at Re’im Camp wearing a Barda jersey with the number 10. After the emotional reunion, Iair quickly changed into a Hapoel Be’er Sheva jersey as well, though it appeared too large on him due to the significant weight loss he suffered during his captivity.
Elyaniv Barda, reflecting on Yair’s release, said: “I was deeply moved to see Yair Horn return home and reunite with his family. These are moments that take your breath away and suddenly put everything into perspective. We are living in a complex time, full of emotional turmoil, shifting quickly between sadness and joy. Today was a happy day for the people of Israel, for the Horn family, and for the Nir Oz community.”
Barda also commented on Yair’s request to the Israeli Air Force pilot to fly over Turner Stadium with the helicopter: “When someone who has been in captivity for almost 500 days comes home and their first wish is to see the stadium that feels like their second home, it helps you understand how fortunate we are to bring happiness and pride to so many people. I’m glad to see Iair back home and hope to meet him soon. I pray for the swift return of his brother Eitan, as well as all the other hostages, to their homes as soon as possible.”
The team reportedly has gifted Iair free tickets to all home games for life.
On Sunday, Iair's uncle Sergio Schmiel told Ynet in an interview about the family's excitement - and his nephew's first dinner after captivity: "We brought him a juicy steak, and he enjoyed it immensely, and also alfajores from Argentina."
"The truth is, I can't digest, I haven't slept for two days from the stress and excitement," said Schmiel. "At a certain point I got out of bed so as not to disturb my partner," he said. On meeting his nephew, after 498 days: "It was wow, without words. Just a hug and a shared cry. As soon as I arrived, they took him for tests, but he seemed completely fine. He's sad and tired, but he also managed to relax and laugh. I guess a lot of things are going through his mind."
"The authorities asked that we not be asking him questions, and he is still not sharing, but he is slowly relaxing. We are patiently waiting for him to feel comfortable and tell us more. Right now he is asking for peace, to be allowed to digest."
He referred to his nephew's request to fly over the stadium on Saturday."It's well known that he's a Hapoel Beer Sheva fan. I wasn't surprised that he asked to fly over the stadium."