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I was released just days ago after enduring an agonizing 498 days in captivity. While I now lie in Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, my heart and soul remain in Gaza, tied to my brother Eitan and the other hostages still held captive. As long as they are in peril, I too remain a hostage to despair. I dedicate my remaining strength to advocating for their return before it is too late.
Heartbreaking Loss
As I put these thoughts into words, the bitter reality strikes me. Four more hostages from my kibbutz have returned to Israel, but not as we hoped. They are returning in coffins. Oded Lifshitz, Shiri Bibas, and her two precious children, Ariel and baby Kfir, who hadn’t even reached his first birthday before being kidnapped, are among them. Their kidnapping occurred on October 7, 2023, and now their families face the unspeakable task of burial. What sort of world allows terrorists to murder an innocent baby, his young brother, their mother, and an elderly man? As these families lay their loved ones to rest, I am plagued by one heart-wrenching question: will my brother Eitan be next? Will more families have to mourn their loved ones in this horrific manner? We cannot allow this to happen again. Not one more hostage should return in such a tragic way.
The Day Our Lives Changed
October 7, 2023, started like any peaceful Shabbat in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Like countless Argentinian immigrants, I had established my life in this small, tight-knit community. My younger brother Eitan had come for a weekend visit. None of us anticipated the horrors that would unfold that day—devastation that left a quarter of our community either murdered or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.
The Ordeal of Captivity
They whisked me away on a motorcycle, subjecting me to brutal violence that left me bleeding and wounded. For an entire month, I lived in uncertainty, not knowing if Eitan was alive or dead. When we finally reunited, we clung to each other until the moment of my release—a moment that tears at my heart every day.
The conditions of our captivity were beyond any human being should endure. The physical and psychological torture we suffered aimed to break our spirits. The first months were particularly harrowing, with fear gripping us tightly—a fear that each breath could be our last, that any word or movement might provoke our captors’ wrath. We were starved, interrogated, and mistreated. I survived by concentrating solely on enduring another day, then the next.
Urgency of the Situation
Time is running out for those still facing this harrowing reality. I witnessed some hostages suffering from severe health issues—they cannot last much longer without critical medical care. My brother Eitan is among them, enduring serious illness without necessary medication. His condition includes severe infections and dangerously high fevers. Each hour that passes increases their lives’ risks. Tragically, Eitan and numerous others are not included in the current phase of releases that brought me home.
A Call to Action
To President Trump, who played a crucial role in securing my freedom: Though our paths have never crossed, I will forever be indebted to you. History will remember you as the leader who took decisive action when it mattered, championing the invaluable principle of human life. Everything I do moving forward will be thanks to your efforts. However, urgent work remains. I implore you to leverage your influence once more to free those who are still captives. We need your assistance more than ever.
I made a promise to those I left behind: I will do everything within my power to ensure their freedom.
The Urgency of Rescue
The world must comprehend the grave situation—people are dying in those tunnels right now. My brother is fighting for his life in those tunnels as we speak. Action is required today, not tomorrow. We must bring back those who are still alive before it is too late, and return those who have perished, so their families can find closure and mourn properly.
A Message to My Brother
To my brother Eitan: hold on. Just as you lent me strength during our darkest days together, I will not rest until you and every other hostage return home.
As long as hostages remain in Gaza, true freedom will elude us all.
