Dozens of Israelis, many of them young, gather on the roads leading to the Israeli settlement of Shilo in the West Bank to welcome former hostage Avinatan Or on his way home.
Or was released last Monday from two years of Hamas captivity in Gaza, and discharged from the Rabin Medical Center (also known as Beilinson) today.
He was kidnapped from the Nova festival during Hamas’s attack on on October 7, 2023. Footage of terrorists separating Or and his girlfriend Noa Argamani, who was also taken hostage, became one of the symbols of the atrocities.
Or’s parents Ditza and Yaron live in Shilo.
Footage of Or’s return home shows dozens of people, most of them teens, waving Israeli flags and singing songs such as “Am Yisrael Chai” — “The people of Israel live” — at a junction near Shilo.
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
