With a ceasefire in place between Israel and Hamas, and a timetable set for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, there is finally time for hope in Jewish communities worldwide. And it comes just between the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the terror group’s acceptance of some elements of the Mideast peace plan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the plan, although obstacles remain on both sides, many of them significant. Egypt will host delegations from Israel and Hamas to discuss the exchange of Israeli hostages—48 in all—for Palestinian prisoners.
As diplomatic efforts progress at the highest levels, Netanyahu has sought to remind the world of why they matter and the tragedy that began it all. While addressing the U.N. General Assembly, he wore a lapel pin with a QR code linking to horrific videos and graphic photos of the brutal massacre—a reminder that Israel has not forgotten the atrocities of Oct. 7.
That reminder speaks to what diplomacy often obscures: the human reality of 20 presumed living hostages in dire condition, all young men, and 30 confirmed dead. Among them are fathers, husbands, sons and brothers—civilians, soldiers, brothers, twins, a fiancé. They remain trapped in limbo as the world debates peace, struggling to survive while holding onto the memories of the homes and lives awaiting them.
The day the tragedy began: Murder, burnings, rape
It all started on Shabbat and Simchat Torah morning. Air-raid sirens blared, and thousands of rockets were launched by Hamas in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Within moments, fears became realized as the Iranian-backed terrorist group began its rampage on Israel—sending hundreds running and screaming—automatic rifles gunning down the innocent.
The jubilant sounds of dancing and singing at a music festival were abruptly turned to the sounds of terror. Families were ripped from their homes as peaceful communities near the Gaza border were invaded by thousands of Hamas terrorists. Children watched as their parents were murdered or abducted in front of them. Parents and spouses screamed and cried as their loved ones were pulled from their grasp and tossed onto the back of trucks and motorcycles, carried off like trophies and cheered through the streets by Gaza’s citizens upon arrival.
That morning, Jewish communities in southern Israel turned into carnage and smoke as terrorists burned cars and bodies and raped, kidnapped and killed whoever they wished.
Stories of heroes and the hostages cast long shadows of that tragic day—reminders of heroism and hope against a backdrop of horror. With the two-year anniversary of that horrific day, when 1,200 people were murdered and more than 250 men, women and children were taken hostage, the impact of Oct. 7 continues.
Names and stories, not just numbers
In an early 2025 ceasefire, 38 hostages were freed, nearly all still alive at the time of their release. Since then, Israel has recovered the bodies of nine more captives from the attack, while Trump secured the freedom of Edan Alexander, the last American-Israeli soldier held in Gaza. Officials have since confirmed the deaths of two additional hostages whose fates had been uncertain.
What follows is a closer look at some of these individuals, plucked from homes and workplaces, and what’s known about their pre-Oct. 7 lives.
Kibbutz Nahal Oz
Matan Angrest, 22, an IDF soldier pulled from his burning tank, was reported to have been chained, beaten, and badly injured, according to released hostages. Hamas later featured him in two propaganda videos in July 2024 and again a year later, as talk of a deal gained traction. According to relatives, in Hamas’s videos, he appeared “drained and desperate,” with a broken nose and a right hand that seemed barely functional. He is the oldest of four siblings. Nimrod Cohen, 20, was pulled from his tank and taken to Gaza. He sent his family a message through a hostage who was released: “I’m OK, don’t worry, I love you.”
A massage therapist and gardener, Omri Miran, 48, hid with his wife and daughters in a safe room in Nahal Oz. Hamas terrorists forced entry and abducted him in his own car to Gaza as his wife and young children watched. Omri surfaced in a few proof-of-life videos released by Hamas over the past year, most recently in February. His wife’s last words to him before she watched him be taken: “I love you, I’ll protect our girls, we’re waiting for you, and don’t be a hero.”
Kibbutz Kfar Aza
Nearby in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Gali Berman, 27, was kidnapped from his home, along with his twin brother, Ziv. Before the attack, Ziv worked in event production and arranged shifts around their father’s medical treatments. The twins exchanged text messages with their families for hours while huddled inside their safe rooms. In the evening, they stopped answering. The brothers are the only surviving hostages from their devastated community.
Kibbutz Nir Oz
Ariel Cunio, 28, was kidnapped along with his fiancé, Arbel Yehud. Arbel was eventually freed in a ceasefire exchange in January, after more than 16 months in complete isolation. David Cunio, 35, Ariel’s brother, was abducted with his wife, twin daughters, sister-in-law and niece. All were released in November 2023, except him. Ariel and David’s mother last received proof of life for both brothers in August 2024. In July, David’s twin daughters turned 5. Eitan Horn, 38, while visiting his brother, Yair Horn, 45, in Nir Oz, was taken along with his brother, who was later freed. Before Oct. 7, Eitan worked as an informal educator with youth movements.
After telling his mother, “I love you, please don’t cry,” amid sounds of gunfire and motorcycles, Matan Zanguaker, 25, was kidnapped with his partner from their home at Nir Oz. He has remained a public face of the hostage crisis thanks to his mother’s relentless advocacy. His partner was freed in November 2023, but in subsequent propaganda videos, Hamas forced other hostages to reference him. In June, Hamas released imagery threatening his execution if Israel attempted a rescue.
Nova music festival abductions
While staying behind to help evacuate the wounded during the attack, Elkana Bohbot, 36, was abducted from the Nova music festival and filmed being beaten before being dragged into Gaza. During a ceasefire in 2025, his family finally received proof of life from a freed hostage, urging his loved ones to remain strong. Serving as a security guard at the Nova festival during a break from army service, Rom Braslavski, 21, also stayed to assist wounded party-goers and was later taken captive.
Evyatar David, 24, was seized at the Nova music festival with his best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24. After his kidnapping, his family said they received a text from an unknown number, containing video footage of Evyatar handcuffed on the floor of a dark room. He was seen in a hostage release video in February, where Hamas showed him watching other hostages being freed—a cruel reminder that his turn had not come and psychological torture for the hostages and their families. In August 2025, Hamas released a propaganda video of Evyatar appearing to dig his own grave in an underground tunnel in Gaza, which was condemned by European countries. Before his abduction, Evyatar was an avid guitar player, gamer and animation fan.
When the attack at Nova began, Segev Kalfon, 27, and his friends tried fleeing by car. When the vehicle stalled, they continued on foot until Hamas terrorists abducted him. In February, freed hostages provided the first confirmation to Segev’s family that he was alive. Maxim Herkin, 37, was kidnapped from the Nova festival only days after he had just returned to Israel from Ukraine. Hamas aired a video in May claiming he was injured in an Israeli strike on the tunnel where he was held. Described by his mother as the anchor and pillar of the family, he was the main provider for his mother and younger brother.
Eitan Mor, 25, the eldest of eight siblings, planned to open a restaurant before Oct. 7. He was serving in event security at the Nova festival when abducted; his companion was later found dead in Gaza. During the early 2025 ceasefire, his family learned he was still alive. Another security worker, Bar Kupershtein, 23, also volunteered as a paramedic, guiding people to exits and treating the wounded before being taken. A freed hostage mentioned him in February, and a Hamas video in April confirmed he was alive. Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 24, was kidnapped after helping the injured escape Nova. His family received proof of life that February, followed by a Hamas video showing him and others pleading for support. Before the massacre, he was a bartender in Tel Aviv.
One of only four survivors pulled from a shelter at Nova, where 16 others were killed, Alon Ohel, 24, was reported to be alive by hostages freed in February. His mother was later told he was chained, starved and beaten in captivity. In honor of him, his relatives placed yellow pianos across Israel, yellow being the symbolic color for hostages.
Avinatan Or, 32, was abducted with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani. He was among the first shown in Hamas abduction footage, driven into captivity as Noa screamed from the back of a terrorist’s motorcycle. In March 2025, the first sign of life was received for Avinatan. After 246 days in captivity, Noa was rescued from Gaza in June 2024 by IDF soldiers. She has since been named one of TIME magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People, becoming a global voice for the hostages and urging world leaders and international forums to press for the release of those still in captivity. She continues to advocate for the return of Avinatan and all the hostages since her rescue. Shortly after her rescue, Noa suffered another loss: Her mother died of brain cancer.
Aftermath: Support for Hamas and propaganda’s dulling effect
As their captivity drags on, many members of the international community look away. A growing list of nations has been pledging support for Palestinian statehood without acknowledging the central obstacle to peace for Palestinians: Hamas. The terrorist group still holds civilians underground, rejects every peace option and openly states its goal of destroying the State of Israel. World governments calling for a Palestinian state without acknowledging Hamas’s crippling control of Gaza, with no outcry over the refusal to release hostages and no demand for Hamas to lay down arms.
By ignoring Hamas’s role, these governments risk legitimizing global terror and distorting a real path to peace. This inversion not only abandons the hostages and their families but also undermines any genuine hope for a Palestinian future free of the grip of terrorists.
As governments look away, Hamas fills the vacuum with propaganda designed to desensitize the public. By radicalizing the impressionable, Hamas recast its crimes as resistance. Furthering the international erosion of moral clarity, the world’s silence leaves space for Hamas’s messaging to take root—reframing atrocities, dulling public outrage and numbing audiences to the brutality of ongoing captivity.
What once caused shock has become background noise. Hamas propaganda is not accidental; it’s central to its strategy for survival and has made terror appear ordinary.
Points to consider:
- Behind every hostage update are real names and real stories.
The remaining hostages must not be reduced to statistics, let alone forgotten. They are real people whose absence leaves empty seats at family dinner tables, and in classrooms and workplaces. Their lives were left frozen in time—beds empty, rooms untouched. Families yearn, cry and pray daily for their missing loved ones as captives languish in the dark tunnels of Hamas captivity. Democracies should not normalize relations with those who justify hostage-taking. Remembering the hostages is remembering that human life and freedom must not be negotiable.
- Rewarding terror weakens peace, inverts justice.
Recognizing Palestinian statehood while hostages remain in Hamas captivity rewards violence rather than promoting peace. Hamas’s terror strategy prolongs hostage suffering, extends the terror group’s survival and shows that hostage-taking can translate into power and political gain. In this inverted justice, terror becomes a political tool and earns applause. Those who commit atrocities are legitimized, while those who suffer them are dismissed.
- Israel is not the obstacle to peace.
Peace is blocked by Hamas’s commitment to endless war and its open rejection of Israel’s right to exist. Ignoring this fact distorts reality and ensures more conflict. Hamas holds both Israeli hostages and Gaza’s civilians as human shields. Releasing the hostages would weaken Hamas’s leverage and jeopardize the terror group’s survival. History shows that Israeli concessions—from the Oslo Accords to the Gaza withdrawal—have been met with violence, not peace. Every serious statehood proposal has collapsed because Hamas and other terror factions reject disarmament and coexistence.
