The death of Jonathan Samerano, 21, was confirmed on December 4, 2023. It is not clear from the announcement whether he died on October 7 or was killed in captivity. His body was recovered by the IDF in June 2025. This is the story of his capture and its aftermath:
Jonathan Samerano, 21, has been missing since the Supernova desert rave on October 7, when Hamas terrorists swooped in, killing and kidnapping hundreds of partygoers.
Samerano, a DJ, was at the party with friends, in a black tank top, green pants and a green hat.
His family says he was always the life of any party.
He hasn’t been heard from since 7 a.m. that morning.
His family began searching for him, assuming he was with his friend Maor Gratzyani, and that the two, and perhaps several others, had sought refuge in nearby Kibbutz Be’eri.
Maor Gratzyani’s body was found several days later.
The Sameranos were told to presume that their son was captive in Gaza.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
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
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
