Freed hostage Avinatan Or was discharged Tuesday from Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital and returned to his parent’s home in Shiloh, Samaria, eight days after he was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
The Petach Tikvah hospital said that Or, who was freed on Oct. 13 as part of the U.S.-brokered deal with Hamas, had passed all medical examinations and would continue his rehabilitation through its unit for ex-captives.
“Beilinson will continue to accompany Avinatan and his family, who will receive all the support they need,” it added in the statement on Tuesday.
Or made several stops during the 35-mile drive home to thank hundreds of supporters who had lined the roads of Samaria, including in the town of Leshem, where his brother lives, and in Ariel, the capital of Samaria.
During the gathering in Leshem, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan told Or, “We are excited to see you here in Samaria—a free Jew with your head held high. We salute you, Avinatan, our heroic brother. We salute the entire Or family, heroes who have lifted the spirit of the people of Israel through all these days.”
As the convoy entered Ariel, Or, who loves motorcycles, was greeted by dozens of bikers, who accompanied him during the last 10 miles home.
“I’m so happy that I can finally say ‘good afternoon'—a really good one—after such a long time in the tunnels of Gaza, in darkness,” Or told crowds in Shiloh. “At last, I’m here with all of the people of Israel.”
“Since we came home eight days ago, we’ve been receiving love from every corner of Israel. I was cut off for two years, and now I’m slowly hearing stories about all the unity and love that existed,” he said.
The freed hostage thanked the soldiers and commanders of the Israel Defense Forces, “who are the real heroes of this story. Thanks to them, I’m here today, able to be with you and feel all this love from you.”
His mother, Ditza, told the welcome ceremony that “for this young man—the one I prayed for—God has granted me what I asked of Him. For this boy, all of Shiloh prayed; we pleaded, we longed, we demanded, and now he has been returned to us.”
“Avinush, welcome home,” his mother told ecstatic residents. “Here you grew up, here you drew your strength from the mountains. With God’s help, may you continue on to a good life and peace for all of us, amen.”
Avinatan, 32, was taken hostage from the Nova music festival by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, alongside his girlfriend, Noa Argamani. Or was held alone for nearly all two years of his captivity. He was handcuffed to a cage for a year after he tried to flee, according to his father, Yaron.
Argamani was rescued by Israeli security forces in a military operation on June 7, 2024, along with three other hostages.
A video of the two being kidnapped became one of the most well-known pieces of footage from the Oct. 7 massacre. Initial medical examinations found that Or lost between 30% and 40% of his body weight in captivity.
