Noam and Alma Or released followed by cousin Liam, as father’s body captive in Gaza

17-year-old Noam and 13-year-old Alma Or were released on November 25 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. This is the story of their capture:

The Or family, father Dror, 48, his children, Noam, 17 and Alma, 13, and nephew, Liam Or, 18, were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists who attacked their home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7.

Dror’s wife, Yonat, mother of Noam and Alma, was killed that day. On May 2, 2024, the kibbutz announced that Dror had been killed on October 7 and his body was being held captive in Gaza.

Noam and Alma’s older brother, Yahli, and their dog, Nella, survived. Yahli Or is volunteering in a year of national service in the north, and wasn’t home on October 7.

Cousin Liam Or, who lives on nearby Kibbutz Re’im, was visiting with the family that weekend and was taken captive as well. He was later released on November 29.

A friend of Liam, another Be’eri resident, had received a photo of Liam as he was being taken to Gaza.

Other kibbutz residents were in touch with Liam and knew that all communication with him stopped at 8:14 a.m.

Liam Or, taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri (Courtesy)

Noam and Alma waited 50 days to be reunited with their parents, according to reports from their uncle. It was soon after getting out of an army helicopter on November 25 that they learned from their grandmother that their mother was killed on Oct. 7, and that their father was still missing, believed to be held by Hamas.

Dror Or, the father, was a chef and cheesemaker in the Be’eri Dairy. His wife Yonat Or, created her own furniture line in Be’eri.

Dror Or, taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri (Courtesy)