Tel Aviv: In a deeply emotional moment that captured the spirit of an entire nation, Israeli hostage Omri Miran, 48, was reunited with his wife Lishay at an initial reception point in southern Israel after spending more than two years in Hamas captivity.
Miran, who was abducted from his home in Nahal Oz during the October 7, 2023 attacks, embraced his wife as military medics and officials looked on. The scene, filled with tears, smiles, and applause, symbolized the collective relief and resilience of a country that has waited anxiously for the return of its abducted citizens.
Lishay, who had long campaigned for her husband’s release, said she last saw him being driven away by militants in his own car on that fateful day. “I always said and I always knew, Omri is a survivor,” she said earlier this year, after Hamas released a video in April 2025 showing Omri marking his 48th birthday in captivity.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that all living hostages have now returned to Israeli territory. “The second group of hostages has crossed back into Israel from Gaza,” the military said in a statement. “Together with the seven released earlier today, all twenty living hostages are now safely on Israeli soil.”
Following a brief medical check and debriefing at the reception site, Miran and other freed hostages will undergo further care and psychological support before reuniting fully with their families.
Omri’s release marks a poignant chapter in Israel’s ongoing recovery efforts following the 2023 Hamas assault, which left deep scars across communities like Nahal Oz. For his wife and countless others who held onto faith through months of uncertainty, his return represents not only personal joy but a moment of national healing.