In recent days, families of Israelis freed from Hamas captivity have begun sharing the first accounts of their loved ones’ physical and mental conditions—and of what they endured over the past two years in Gaza.

On Wednesday, a moving video surfaced showing Avinatan Or, 32, from Tel Aviv—kidnapped from the Nova music festival together with his partner Noa Argamani—greeting his friends after his release. Smiling faintly, he jokes at the start of the clip: “Is this recording? I don’t even know what this technology is. I’ve been disconnected for two years. What’s up, my dear friends? I’m so happy to see you.”

He continues: “I’m doing okay—tired and exhausted, but we’ll catch up soon. I can’t wait to see you. I love you all. I heard you did so much for me—I haven’t heard everything yet, but slowly, slowly. Happy holiday.”

Or’s father, Yaron Or, told “Kan Reshet Bet” radio that the conditions of captivity were “beyond unbearable.”

“When you hear about the conditions they were in and where they were—the fact they came back alive is nothing short of a miracle,” he said.

He revealed that his son had attempted to escape, but was caught, beaten, and his conditions worsened. “He was alone the entire time, in tunnels, with no books, nothing. At some point they gave him a Rubik’s cube—that became his entire world. I don’t know how he came out sane. It’s a miracle.”

Yaron Or added that his son knew very little about what was happening in Israel, and was even misled by his captors.

“They told him Noa [Argamani] had already been released, even though she was still in captivity. He knew there was a war, but not its scale. He thought the war had to end even at the cost of the hostages. He told the Prime Minister and us, ‘I thought I’d stay there for years—that they wouldn’t release me until the war ended, and that’s how it should be,'” he said.

Avinatan Or’s mother, Ditsa Or, told “Israel Hayom” newspaper that their reunion was beyond imagination.

“It’s so much more than you can picture. Imagine the most intense thing—then multiply it by thousands. Everything burns, everything opens. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” she said.

She provided more details about her son’s escape attempt. “It was about a year and a few months ago, during fighting in the area. There was a bombing, parts of the tunnel collapsed—chaos broke out, and he tried to escape. His head was already out of the tunnel when they grabbed his legs.” According to her, the prime minister later told him: “It’s good you didn’t make it—in those conditions, it would have been nearly impossible to reach IDF forces.”

Ditsa Or said her son “hadn’t heard a word of Hebrew for two years.”

“He actually started thinking in Arabic and translating into Hebrew. Sometimes Arabic words slip out. It’s amazing—they were forbidden from speaking to him; only rarely did someone whisper a few words,” she said.

Noa Argamani, Avinatan Or’s partner, wrote in an emotional post on X: “I was held captive with children, women, and the elderly, while Avinatan was held alone. I was mostly kept inside houses, while Avinatan was only in the tunnels. Hamas released videos and signs of life from me, while there was no information at all about Avinatan. I was held captive by Hamas for 246 days, while Avinatan was held for 738 days. I came back in a heroic rescue operation, and Avinatan returned in a deal.

“But both of us, against all odds, came home and were reunited! I cannot put into words the range of emotions I felt when I saw him for the first time after so long. Each of us faced death countless times, and yet, after two years apart, we are finally taking our first steps together again in the State of Israel. At last, we can begin our healing together. The recovery will be long; we still haven’t truly processed what has happened here over these past two years.

“But we won. We won our personal war, and the war of all those who fought alongside us to reach this moment. And now, the time has come to begin our shared journey together.”

‘The Hamas Leader Told Me I’d Be Released First’

Eitan Mor, who worked as a security guard at the Nova festival near Kibbutz Re’im, was among those freed after nearly two years in captivity. His parents, who were observing Shabbat and were not using their phones, didn’t even know he was at the festival that weekend.

On the morning of the attack, he managed to speak briefly with his uncle—and according to survivors’ testimonies, was last seen moving bodies of two young women to safety before being kidnapped.

Last night, Mor met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sharing striking details from his time in captivity.

He said he had met Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the head of Hamas’s military wing, who told him: “If anyone is going to be released first, it’s you—because your father doesn’t go to protests, so they’ll send you home first.”

In one of the first videos published after his return, Mor is heard saying: “I always bragged about my parents—about the values they gave me. Out there, many times, you had to be smart, not right.”

‘I Heard My Father on the Radio From the Tunnel’

Yosef Haim Ohana, 25, from Kiryat Malachi, was also kidnapped from the Nova festival after helping evacuate the wounded. Only after his return was it revealed that he had been serving as a Givati Brigade soldier at the time of his abduction.

His father, Avi Ohana, told “Kan Moreshet” radio: “I’m over the moon. For two years I couldn’t sleep from pain—now I can’t sleep from joy. This miracle is beyond nature. The verse has come true: ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.’”

He described the harsh conditions his son faced. After the release deal was finalized, Yosef Haim Ohana and seven other hostages were moved into a deep, crowded pit.

“They couldn’t sit—only stand and lean against the wall. There was no oxygen—they could have died just from that. It was literally, ‘And Joseph was cast into the pit.’ Yosef in the pit.”

He recounted how his son once managed to hear his father’s voice: “One day, Hamas gave them a small radio to hear the muezzin’s call to prayer, but they saw electric cables running up through the tunnel. They tried various things. He told me, ‘Dad, you won’t believe it—Elkanah Buchbot and I tuned into Galatz radio and heard you being interviewed. That gave me strength.’”

Avi Ohana concluded emotionally: “It’s a miracle for the entire people of Israel. Every Jew who prayed, every tear shed—they’re part of this redemption. I’ve learned that even when everything seems lost, nothing is truly lost. God forgets no one. If Yosef came back alive from the pit—the people of Israel will too. We will all be redeemed, God willing.”

Elkana Bohbot Reunites With His Family

Elkana Bohbot, 36, from Mevaseret Zion, was also kidnapped from the Nova festival, where he worked on the production team. During the attack, he helped treat and evacuate the wounded before being captured and taken to Gaza.

His family told Channel 12 News that he spent the entire period underground, mostly chained in tunnels, which affected his sense of time. However, he remembered his wedding anniversary and asked one of his guards for permission to shower in honor of the day.

“At first the captor told him, ‘Sit down and be quiet,’ but after he insisted, the guard relented—removed the chains and let him shower.”

Medically, Bohbot now suffers from stomach pain caused by overfeeding before his release, as well as back and leg pain after months of immobility. His mother, Ruhama, said: “I keep looking at him—his face, his body—just to make sure he’s really okay.”

In a statement from Sheba Medical Center, his wife Rivka said: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this moment. I’ve waited two years to say this—and I still can’t believe he’s here.”

She revealed that in his final months of captivity, her husband endured severe abuse and starvation, only to be fed more near the end “so he’d look better for the world.”

“Today he’s still in pain, but with medical care and his own strength, he’ll recover—slowly but surely.”

About the reunion with their son Raam, she said: “It was the most emotional day of my life—more than our wedding. I saw them both being reborn before my eyes.”