After more than two years in captivity, 20 hostages abducted during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, are set to return to Israel.
During Hamas’s attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 251 people were abducted. After more than two years, Israeli officials report that of the 48 remaining Israeli and foreign hostages, 20 are still believed to be alive. They are expected to be released on Monday under a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. These are their names and their stories:
Alon Ohel (24) — a musician and pianist, Ohel was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, dragged from a shelter where he was hiding among the wounded and dead. His parents, prominent advocates for the hostages’ return, placed dozens of pianos across Israel with the message « You are not alone. » In 2024, his mother, Idit Ohel, organized a concert for him on the Gaza border. She told NPR, « I know that he’s alive because he was taken alive, and I know that he’s alive because I’m a mother. »
Ariel (28) and David (35) Cunio — brothers from Kibbutz Nir Oz, were abducted on Oct.7 along with their wives and children. While their families were freed in earlier deals, the brothers remained in captivity. In July 2025, their mother, Sylvia, said: « I always try to stay optimistic because there’s no other way… I just want them all home. »
Avinatan Or (32) — the second of seven siblings, holds a degree in electrical and computer engineering and worked in high-tech. He was kidnapped from the Nova festival with his partner, Noa Argamani, who was rescued by Israeli forces last year. Footage of their abduction, showing Hamas gunmen separating them, became a defining image of the Oct.7 attacks. In March 2025, released hostages delivered a sign of life from him to his family.
Bar Kupershtein (23) — the eldest of five siblings and the family’s main breadwinner after his father became disabled, was abducted to Gaza while working at the Nova festival. Passionate about motorcycles, he was last seen in a Hamas video in April 2025 alongside hostage Maksim Harkin
Elkana Bohbot (36) — was working at the Nova music festival when he was abducted. Several videos of him in captivity have surfaced, the most recent in May 2025. Three months ago, his mother told Galei Tzahal (Army Radio): « I don’t want to hear any more talk—I just want to see the headline, ‘We signed the deal.’ I’m exhausted from promises. I’ve lost my sanity, my optimism. My body can’t take it anymore. »
Eitan Horn (39) — was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his brother Yair, who was released earlier this year.
