Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Eight months after former hostage Eliya Cohen was released from Hamas captivity, he proposes to Ziv Aboud, his longtime girlfriend.
Former hostage Eliya Cohen and his longtime girlfriend Ziv Aboud got engaged in Jaffa on October 23, 2025 (Eliya Cohen/Instagram)
The pair celebrate their engagement in front of a crowd of whistling, cheering friends and family, including former hostage Or Levy, at the Setai Hotel in Jaffa, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
As they walk toward their friends and family, Cohen says, “We succeeded!”
Cohen said in numerous media interviews that he and Aboud wouldn’t marry until hostages Alon Ohel and Elkana Bohbot were released from captivity. That occurred on October 13, after the ceasefire in Gaza took effect.
Cohen and Levy were held captive together for many months along with Ohel and Eli Sharabi.
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 23, 2025
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