Crowd rejoices at home of freed hostage Omer Shem-Tov after discharge from hospital
Recently released captive thanks crowd of Israelis singing, dancing and waving flags outside Herzliya home; neighbor says it is 'best feeling in the world' to see him return
A crowd gathered on Saturday night outside of recently freed hostage Omer Shem-Tov’s family home in Herzliya to welcome him home after his discharge from the hospital.
Shem-Tov was released from Hamas captivity on February 22, included in the final group of captives released in the first stage of the hostage-ceasefire deal. His mother, Shelly Shem-Tov, has said that he was kept for 450 days alone in a tunnel, where he suffered.
With his release from the hospital, Shem-Tov will begin daily rehabilitation visits, Beilinson Hospital said in a statement.
The released captive was seen returning home wearing the Brazilian national soccer team shirt of former star Ronaldo — which he had been wearing when he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023, onslaught.
Speaking briefly to the media from through the car window as he arrived, Shem-Tov thanked those who gathered outside his home to welcome him and called for all the hostages to be returned immediately.
Video footage posted on X by public broadcaster Kan showed the flag-waving crowd singing and dancing next to a balloon arch outside his home. They carried signs saying, “How good that you’ve come home.”
Shay Itzhak, a neighbor of the Shem-Tov family, told the Ynet news site that it was “the best feeling in the world” to see the released hostage return, and wished him success in life.
“Omer is a dear person. This entire period for the people of Israel… it brought us closer together. What can I say? There’s happiness but also sadness. We hope we will get through it all,” he said.
Tali Messika told Ynet she came to support the Shem-Tov family and Omer, telling the outlet everyone was “very happy he returned home.”
“We are waiting for all the hostages, for everyone to come home safe and sound,” she said.
Shem-Tov was at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, with his friends Itay and Maya Regev, who were also taken hostage and were freed in a hostage deal in November 2023.
Before his return, he had last spoken to his parents around 10 a.m. on the day of the brutal onslaught, as he sounded increasingly panicked about what was happening around him while Hamas terrorists murdered hundreds and abducted dozens at the rave.
After getting into a friend’s car, he sent his family his live location, but they eventually noticed that it was headed toward Gaza, and contact with him was lost.