Shlomi Ziv, who was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip on October 7 by Hamas terrorists and rescued two weeks ago during "Operation Arnon" two weeks ago, returned Tuesday to his home, Moshav Elkosh in western Galilee for the first time.
Many gathered at his doorstep to greet him and celebrate his return to the community. Shimon Guetta, head of the Ma’ale Yosef Regional Council, welcomed Shlomi and spoke to those gathered about his return.
Shlomi Ziv returns home
(Video: Tenne Communication)
Guy Katz, a resident of nearby Moshav Ma'ona, said that Ziv's return is a ray of hope. "As residents of the council, which has lost several members since October 7, we were deeply moved when Shlomi was rescued from Gaza, and even more so to accompany him back to his home in Elkosh today. This is a ray of hope as some of our council’s residents are evacuated, and the rest are holding the border settlements with a strong hand. Together, we will prevail."
Shlomi Ziv, 41, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in Kibbutz Re'im, where he was working as a security guard. Initially, he was reported missing. He had arrived at the site on Thursday, two days before the massacre, joining his wife's cousin, who was murdered on October 7.
"Whenever there were big projects, he would invite Shlomi to join," recounted his wife, Miran.
"Our last conversation was on Saturday morning at 8:15 AM; he said he was running and that we would talk later," Miran said.
"I sensed something was wrong. He also told his sister, Revital, that he was escaping. After that, he stopped answering. The last message he received was at 9:45 a.m. We didn't know what he was running from, but we listened to the news and began to realize what was happening." The family was informed of his kidnapping only a week later.
Ziv was rescued from Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp along with three other hostages – Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; and Andrey Kozlov, 27 – on Saturday, June 8.
The operation was approved two days prior, after meticulous planning, rehearsals and advanced intelligence monitoring over several weeks. The go-ahead was given during a classified meeting, under heavy security, and they waited for the right moment. Days before the rescue, Yamam operatives and Shin Bet's operational unit led the mission into Nuseirat, engaging in combat in central Gaza and eliminating many terrorists around the hostages.