In first visit to Hostages Square, Omri Miran says supporters ‘rose up’ out of trauma

Freed hostage Omri Miran made his first visit to Hostages Square on Friday, nearly three weeks after he was freed from Hamas captivity, where he was held for two years after being kidnapped from his Nahal Oz home on October 7, 2023.

“I’m here, and I know that while my nightmare and my family’s nightmare have ended, there are still eleven families living in terrible uncertainty,” Miran said. “I’ve seen and heard how much strength you gave my family during the hardest times, and now I want to give that same strength to the families whose loved ones have not yet returned. Let’s continue until the last hostage comes home.”

He also asked those gathered to stand for a moment of silence in memory of the victims from Nahal Oz, saying, “All those murdered and fallen from the kibbutz on that cursed day are etched in my heart.”

“I’m at a loss for words to explain how moved I am,” he went on. “In the two and a half weeks since I’ve been here, I’ve heard only a fraction of all that has been done. How, out of pain, devastation, and trauma, you rose up and stood beside my family. For that, I thank you deeply.”

Expressing his love for those in attendance, Miran told the crowd, “You give me hope and the knowledge that things will be good, despite everything we’ve been through. Because when these are our values, and these are our people, things will be good.”

Miran, 48, was abducted from his home in the Gaza border community of Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists infiltrated southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, sparking the war against Hamas in Gaza.

He was freed on October 13, 2025, after 738 days in captivity, as part of phase one of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war, which included the release of the remaining 20 living hostages from Hamas captivity.

Miran was discharged from Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center four days after his release, following medical examinations. Ichilov said he would continue receiving ongoing support and called on the public and media to respect his privacy.

He was greeted by hundreds at Kibbutz Kramim, where his wife, Lishay, and their two young daughters, Roni and Alma, have been living since the Hamas onslaught wrought widespread destruction in Nahal Oz.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Friday reiterated the need for continued public pressure on the government to secure the release of the remaining captives.

“The people of Israel do not forget their sons left behind — we will not be silent, we will not rest, and we will not stop — until the last hostage is brought home,” the forum said.

It is unclear when Hamas will return the bodies of the 11 remaining deceased captives, or how many it has access to.

Israel has accused Hamas of multiple violations of the ceasefire deal that took effect on October 10, and has charged that the terror group knows the location of the vast majority of the remaining bodies of hostages, and is purposely stalling.

The ceasefire agreement required Hamas to return all remaining 48 living and deceased hostages within 72 hours. While the group followed through in handing over all 20 living hostages, it returned only four of the 28 bodies still held in Gaza in the hours after the deadline. It has since returned another 13 bodies.