From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 2, 2025
Former hostage Nurit Cooper eulogizes her husband, slain captive Amiram Cooper, at his funeral
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Former hostage Nurit Cooper, widow of slain captive Amiram Cooper, eulogizes her husband at his funeral.
“Writing about Cooper in the past tense feels so strange to me,” says Nurit Cooper, referring to her husband.
Both husband and wife were taken hostage by Gazan terrorists on October 7, 2023, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Nurit was released after three weeks along with fellow Nir Oz resident Yocheved Lifshitz. Amiram was killed in captivity, and his body was released by Hamas back to Israel last week.
She says she arrived at Nir Oz at the age of 18 as part of the Tzabar youth group and that, even before they met, she heard about a guy who wrote songs and whistled melodies.
“I loved his songs,” said Cooper. “Later we met, fell in love, and built a family together.”
Cooper recalls her husband as a devoted, warm and loving father to their children and grandchildren, remembering their full, good life in Nir Oz.
She says they were always together, “inseparable.”
“Even in the tunnels, we were together,” says Cooper. “We shared the same mattress and the little food we were given, and we hoped to return home alive.”
“Life without him is lonely,” says Cooper.
The Times of Israel Community.