Freed hostage Nimrod Cohen says he plans to return to IDF service

Former hostage and IDF Armored Corps soldier Nimrod Cohen, who was abducted to Gaza on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attacks and held captive for nearly two years, says he intends to return to military service in a preview of an interview with Channel 12 news.

In the interview, set to be broadcast in full this weekend, Cohen says he is currently undergoing a process to take on a new role in the army, explaining that returning to a structured framework and routine would aid his recovery.

“I didn’t really do my service, the way I see it,” Cohen says, noting that he served only about 10 months — out of the 32 that are required of men in compulsory service — before being kidnapped, including roughly two months in operational activity.

“The rest of the time I was in training or exercises and didn’t really do what I define as meaningful service,” Cohen explains.

Cohen was seized from his tank during the Hamas-led onslaught, in which the rest of his crew were killed. He was released in October 2025 as part of a deal that secured the current ceasefire agreement.