An Israeli hostage, Eliya Cohen, who had been in captivity for over 500 days, discovered his fiancée, Ziv Abud, had survived the deadly 7 October attacks when he was released on Saturday. The last time they saw each other, they were taking shelter with relatives and friends after attending the Nova festival. An emotional video shared by the Israeli Defense Forces captures the powerful reunion, with both breaking into tears as they embraced. Overwhelmed with emotion, Abud tells Cohen that he is her love, her life, and her dear one. Amid tears and kisses, Cohen inquires about her well-being.

Abud previously shared her harrowing experience with The Guardian, detailing how Hamas launched an attack on their shelter, resulting in Eliya being wounded and subsequently taken captive. She survived by remaining buried under bodies for six hours before being rescued, only to find that Cohen was missing and her nephew and his partner had been killed. Out of the 27 people who took refuge together, 16 were killed by Hamas, four were taken hostage, and the rest were saved by Israeli soldiers.

Before his abduction, Cohen had planned to propose to Abud with an engagement ring, leading her to consider herself his fiancée. In January 2024, Abud expressed her longing for his return, feeling alive only in anticipation of his freedom and that of all the kidnapped individuals. She also worried about how to inform Cohen about the tragic loss of their friends on 7 October.

Cohen was reportedly held captive in a tunnel for most of his confinement with Or Levy, El Sharabi, and Alon Ohel; Levy has been released, while Ohel remains in captivity.

So far, 25 Israeli captives have been released, with an expected total of 33, including the remains of those who have died or been killed in captivity. This exchange is in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/22/israeli-hostage-only-discovered-fiancee-had-survived-7-october-after-his-release