The 20 living hostages that remained in captivity in Gaza were released in the morning of Oct. 13. They endured over two years in tunnels, following the Hamas terrorist attack at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023, where they were kidnapped.
They were returned as part of the first phase of the peace deal proposed by President Donald Trump. Hamas has also agreed to release the remains of 28 hostages who died in captivity. The IDF claims the Red Cross is en route to Gaza to collect the bodies, to give closure to the families who’ve waited over two years to bury their deceased relatives.
Ahead of the release, 20 families prepared for the release of their loved ones, with some traveling to Israel for the reunion they have been waiting 738 days for.
“Dear families, you’re going home.”
Pilot flying a plane full of family members of hostages
Israel National News reported about an El Al flight that took family members of hostages from Amsterdam back to Israel to meet their loved ones. Before take off, the pilot made an announcement that said, “We will shortly take off for Israel, and this time, it’s not a regular flight. With us are hostages’ families who are going to meet their loved ones who will return home after two years in Hamas captivity in Gaza. The excitement at this moment is difficult to put into words. It is a privilege to bring you home for the reunion that you’ve waited for more than anything else, and the entire country waited with you. Dear families, you’re going home.”
families and friends reunited
Among those finally returning home were brothers Ariel and David Cunio, who were kidnapped alongside their family on Oct. 7. NBC News reports that Ariel Cunio, a software tester, was taken with his girlfriend Arbel Yehud, who was released earlier this year. David Cunio, an electrical technician, was abducted with his wife, Sharon Cunio, and their two young daughters. David held the safe room door in the family home for five hours while attackers tried to get it open. Sharon Cunio and the children were freed after 52 days in captivity and finally reunited with the entire family.
Gali and Ziv Berman, 28-year-old twins from Kfar Aza, were also freed. According to AIPAC, they had been held separately and completely cut off from the outside world. Their reunion symbolized the deep emotional toll that years of separation have caused for so many hostage families.
Eitan Horn, 39, an Argentine-born educator, was kidnapped while visiting his brother Yair in Nir Oz. The two were held together until Yair’s release in February. The New York Times reported that he lost roughly half his body weight and was forced to walk for 12 hours through tunnels.
nova survivors
Many of the released were young people who had been taken from the Nova Music Festival.
Alon Ohel, 24, a pianist kidnapped from the festival grounds, has since been seen back at his piano in videos shared online.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, and his close friend Evyatar David, also 24, were among the attendees taken that day. Both appeared in Hamas propaganda videos during their captivity, visibly starved and exhausted. NBC reported that David’s brother described him as “a brilliant guitar player with the kindest soul I know.”
Another Nova staff member, Bar Kupershtein, 23, was working as a medic and treating victims when he was abducted. His father, Tal Kupershtein, who had lost his ability to speak years earlier, has reportedly regained his voice through speech therapy since his son’s kidnapping.
Eitan Avraham Mor, 25, worked in Jerusalem and served on the Nova security team. Witnesses said he helped others escape before being taken himself. He has seven younger siblings who awaited his return.
Elkana Bohbot, 36, another Nova organizer, was captured while aiding in evacuations. In May, he appeared in a video circulated by Hamas showing him tied up on the floor with a bloodied face. “Everything is fine, relax,” he told his cheering family in a call ahead of his release. Reports say he was kept shackled underground in darkness and is suffering from severe pain after being overfed by Hamas in the days leading up to his release, which Israeli medical professionals said could have been fatal after his prolonged starvation.
Maksym Harkin, 37, immigrated to Israel from Ukraine and attended the festival with friends. Two of them were killed, and Harkin was kidnapped and taken into Gaza.
Segev Kalfon, 27, was also captured while fleeing the festival. For four months, his family believed he had been killed until, according to The Jerusalem Post, hostage Ohad Ben Ami was released in February and notified the family that Kalfon was still alive and in captivity. A revelation that made their reunion even more emotional.
Rom Braslavski, 21, a security guard at Nova, was seen in Hamas footage looking weak and thin. A former hostage held with him said, “The faith and strength I saw in his eyes back then have been replaced by sadness, depression and helplessness.” According to AIPAC, Braslavski was shot at, physically beaten, kept in complete darkness, not allowed any showers, and starved.
Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25, was abducted while trying to flee with a friend and later appeared in a Hamas propaganda video with Bohbot.
soldiers taken hostage
Several hostages were Israel Defense Forces soldiers taken during the initial assault.
Matan Angrest, 22, was kidnapped from his tank near Nahal Oz while defending the base. His family released footage of his capture earlier this year to draw attention to his worsening health.
Nimrod Cohen, 21, was abducted while defending Kibbutz Nirim. Three members of his tank crew were killed.
partners and fathers
Avinatan Or, 32, an Nvidia engineer from Tel Aviv, was kidnapped at the Nova Festival with his girlfriend Noa Argamani, who was rescued earlier this year. According to AIPAC, Or was held in isolation for two years and starved, losing 40% of his body weight in captivity. He is now reunited with his girlfriend and family.
Omri Miran, 47, a shiatsu therapist and father of two, was taken from the safe room of his home in Nahal Oz in front of his wife Lishay and their daughters, one of whom was only six months old at the time. According to AIPAC, he was held in 23 places throughout Gaza.
Matan Zangauker, 25, was abducted from Nir Oz alongside his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky, who was freed during the November 2023 ceasefire. A video of him returning to his mother, who tirelessly advocated for his return, went viral.
The Associated Press reports that Hamas took a total of 251 people from Israel on Oct.7. Since then, 168 hostages have been released and rescued alive, and 66 bodies have been released or retrieved. The ceasefire deal called for 28 deceased Israeli hostages to be returned. Ten have been released since the first phase of Trump’s plan went into effect on Oct. 10.
As time goes on, America will follow the conditions of the newly released hostages. Videos of them eating home-cooked meals for the first time, watching the sky, and more, have been shared online. It will be important to watch as some decide to speak out. Since being released, after 491 days in captivity, former hostage Eli Sharabi wrote the book Hostage, detailing the inhumane treatment he and many others endured: some for two weeks, and some for two years.