Brother of Israeli hostage accidentally killed by IDF releases album in his memory – featuring his voice

Musician, songwriter, and drummer Tuval Haim released his debut album “Brothers” on Tuesday morning. The album is dedicated to his brother, Yotam Haim, who was kidnapped from Kfar Aza on Oct. 7 and mistakenly shot dead by IDF troops in December 2023 in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood of Gaza, along with fellow hostages Alon Shamriz and Samer al-Talalka.

The album's release is accompanied by the lead single “Tiger,” which includes lyrics written by Yotam, found by Tuval on his phone after his death. Musician Elissaf Bashari, Tuval’s partner in the band Quarter to Africa, recorded part of the text, and using artificial intelligence, his voice was replaced with Yotam’s.

“As a child, Yotam loved dressing up as a tiger every Purim and truly believed he was one,” Tuval said.

“Apparently, he was right, because he survived captivity like the strongest animal in the jungle, using all his instincts to make it home. But apparently, man-made weapons can kill even the strongest and bravest animal. Elissaf came to the studio, we talked a lot about life that day, and I pulled out a text that Yotam had written, which I found on his phone, and I asked Elissaf to read it for the second verse. Later, we replaced Elissaf’s voice with Yotam’s – a voice that manages to rise above all the hardships and inspire others, like the ‘Tiger’ he was. He is an inseparable part of the song – in spirit and in voice.”

“I didn’t plan to create this album; it came into being because I had to – I was compelled to gather all the emotions of the past year and a half into something, the fragments of my soul that shattered into pieces,” Tuval added. “Those fragments came together to create something new – a new me. I dedicate the album to Yotam – thank you for your courage and bravery. This is not our end – it’s a new beginning.”

The album was created in collaboration with and produced by Beno Hendler, and features contributions from Berry Sakharof, Shai Tsabari, Ester Rada, Echo, and the band Folkes. The album cover was illustrated by their younger sister, Noya Haim. The singles album from the album – “Wings of Spirit” (with Folkes and Berry Sakharof) and “Dancing in the Sky” (with Echo) – have already been released.