Rescue vehicles became stuck in sand, and 12 IDF tanks formed a protective circle to shield the escape.
By Hezy Laing
For the first time since his dramatic rescue from Gaza, former hostage Shlomi Ziv has stepped into the spotlight to share the harrowing details of his captivity and the daring Israeli operation that saved him.
Ziv, 42, was abducted by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, while working security at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im.
He would go on to endure 246 days in captivity alongside fellow hostages Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov.
Recalling the moment of his abduction, Ziv said, “I prayed for a missile or a combat helicopter to strike the car.”
Speaking at a packed event held at the Valley Train heritage site, Ziv revealed the grim reality of life in captivity: subsisting on one pita a day, facing psychological torment, and living in complete isolation from the outside world.
He also detailed the psychological abuse inflicted by Hamas: “They showed us only footage of attacks on Israel and IDF soldiers. Everything was aimed at breaking us.”
The turning point came on June 8, 2024, when Israeli forces launched an audacious rescue mission.
The operation—led by the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit, Shin Bet, and Border Police—unfolded under intense gunfire.
Rescue vehicles became stuck in sand, and 12 IDF tanks formed a protective circle to shield the escape.
The mission was named in honor of Arnon Zamora, the Yamam officer who tragically lost his life during the raid. At the event, Ziv opened up about a past military trauma that had left him with PTSD and how this recent experience reactivated some of those wounds.
Still, he expressed overwhelming gratitude, saying, “At 11 a.m., I was still a hostage in Gaza. By 1 p.m., I was free.”
One emotional moment came during a Q&A session when the father of a soldier involved in the rescue told Ziv, “My son sends you his love.” Ziv, visibly moved, responded, “Send my love right back to him. Tell him thank you.”
As he begins what he calls a journey of healing, Ziv’s voice joins those of others still grappling with the trauma of October 7.
His story adds a deeply human chapter to the national narrative—one of suffering, resilience, and salvation.
