The father of freed hostage Yosef-Chaim Ohana said Wednesday that his son managed to conceal his military background from Hamas terrorists who held him captive in Gaza for nearly two years.
Speaking to Kan Moreshet Radio, Avi Ohana said his son, a former combat commander in the IDF’s Givati Brigade, survived torture “beyond anything the army could have imagined.” He described how seven men were kept in a single pit, forced to stand and lean against the wall for long periods.
Avi said he drew strength from daily prayers throughout his son’s captivity. “Every morning I prayed, one day at Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s tomb, another at the Western Wall. It was also a battle of faith,” he said.
Ohana said his son’s ability to hide his military service likely saved his life. Several other freed hostages also managed to conceal their army backgrounds. After their release, it was revealed that Bar Kupershtein and Rom Braslavski had both been serving in the IDF when they were kidnapped: Kupershtein as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion and Braslavski in the Central Command’s logistics division. Contrary to rumors circulated online, Avinatan Or had not served in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, but in Sayeret Rimon, which was disbanded in 2018 and merged into the IDF Commando Brigade.
Avi said his son described the final days before release as especially harrowing. “After the deal was signed, we thought they were being taken out of the tunnels to prepare for release,” he said. “But Yosef told me they were taken down a staircase, deeper and deeper, into a pit so small seven men could not sit. They could barely stand, and the lack of oxygen alone could have killed them.”
At one point, the captors gave the hostages a small radio so they could hear the Muslim call to prayer. “They saw electric cables running through the tunnels and managed to connect them to the radio,” Avi recounted. “My son told me he and Elkana Bohbot caught Galatz (Army Radio) and heard me being interviewed. It gave him strength.”
He said the family is still processing what happened. “For two years I couldn’t sleep from sorrow, now I can’t sleep from excitement. Every story reveals how miraculous their survival was. Yosef-Chaim said there were times they thought they would be there for five or ten years, if they survived at all.”
Israeli officials meet with freed hostages
At Sheba Medical Center, Defense Minister Israel Katz met with freed hostage Bar Kupershtein, who told him, “I got my life back.” Katz praised Kupershtein’s bravery during the October 7 attacks, when he helped festivalgoers at the Nova music festival and administered first aid before being captured. Katz reaffirmed that returning the remaining hostages and the bodies of those killed remains Israel’s top priority, alongside dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza.
President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog also visited freed twin hostages Gali and Ziv Berman at Sheba. The president later wrote on X/Twitter that the brothers had “entered the hearts of an entire nation” and said he was deeply moved to see them reunited with their family.
Moshe Or, the brother of freed hostage Avinatan Or, told Ynet that Avinatan had been held in isolation for nearly the entire duration of his captivity. “He was completely alone for two years, barely even around Palestinians, let alone Israelis,” Moshe said. “He didn’t eat much and lived in extremely harsh conditions, but he came through like a hero. His spirit never broke.”
Moshe said his brother’s mind remains sharp and curious. “He’s hungry for life, catching up on world news, Israeli politics, and everything he missed. He loves burgers and good food. Everyone’s spoiling him now.”
Earlier this week, Avinatan recorded a video message for his friends, joking that he no longer recognized new technology after two years in isolation. “I’m fine, just tired and exhausted. We’ll catch up soon. I love you all,” he said.
Two days after their grandson Matan Angrest was freed, his grandparents Moti and Rina Angrest described their emotional reunion to i24 News. “We hugged him, and the tears wouldn’t stop,” Moti said. “Seeing him alive and standing before us is something we’ll never forget.”
Moti said Matan was weak but had begun rehabilitation. “We were living a nightmare for two years and finally woke up,” Rina said. “We put our lives aside and focused only on Matan.”
After his release, singers Omer Adam and Shlomo Artzi visited Matan in the hospital. “They hugged us, this is the beautiful face of Israel,” Moti said. Rina added that songs by Adam, Artzi, and Eyal Golan helped her grandson endure captivity.
Moti said Matan later apologized to his grandparents for the pain they endured. “He told us, ‘It was hard for you. I made it harder for you for two years.’ That says it all, he takes everything on himself. He’s a giant of a man, he and his entire team, Team Peretz.”