{"id":22444,"date":"2025-05-09T18:00:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T15:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=22444"},"modified":"2025-05-09T15:36:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T12:36:13","slug":"eliya-cohen-describes-the-moment-he-was-identified-as-jewish-during-escape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/eliya-cohen-describes-the-moment-he-was-identified-as-jewish-during-escape\/","title":{"rendered":"Eliya Cohen Describes the Moment He Was Identified as Jewish During Escape"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eliya Cohen, who was released after 18 months in Hamas captivity, revealed in an interview with Ynet yesterday (Thursday) the terrifying yet courageous moments during an escape attempt that nearly succeeded. Cohen described how he took advantage of a moment of confusion when his captors panicked during a bombing and fled\u2014only to be recaptured after a local Gazan recognized him as Jewish.<\/p>\n

The failed escape<\/strong>
\nIn the gripping interview, Cohen recounted the dramatic escape: one day in captivity, rumors spread about an imminent airstrike. The guards panicked and ran, and Eliya seized the opportunity to escape along with several other hostages.
\n\u201cI told them, \u2018Let\u2019s run, are you serious?\u2019 You could call it instinct, maybe a gut feeling. So we started running down the street,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Eliya and his family after the release | Photo: Haim Zach, GPO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the attempt failed. While fleeing, a local Gazan noticed them and identified them as Jews. The owner of the house where they had been held confronted the man and managed to persuade him to return the hostages inside. They were eventually hidden in a nearby grocery store until the danger had passed.
\n\u201cThe bombings kept going. We returned to the house and slept on rubble for two months,\u201d Cohen said.<\/p>\n

What captivity looked like<\/strong>
\nCohen described captivity as a living hell, filled with hunger, humiliation, and constant danger.
\n\u201cIt was like going through Yom Kippur for months on end, with the pre-fast meal being a pita shared among four people,\u201d he said. He also recounted the physical and verbal abuse he endured at the hands of his captors.<\/p>\n

There were moments when he believed he wouldn\u2019t survive.
\n\u201cWhen we tried to escape, we looked at each other and said, \u2018This could be the end.\u2019 I told myself\u2014I\u2019ve made it three months. Whatever\u2019s going to happen will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Eliya Cohen after his release | Photo: Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Determined to move forward<\/strong>
\nAfter his release, Cohen expressed a sense of victory by flashing a \u201cV\u201d sign with his hand in front of the terrorists.
\n\u201cThey whistled and got angry, afraid I might do something on stage. In that moment\u2014they were afraid of me. And I had won,\u201d he said with pride.<\/p>\n

Today, Eliya Cohen is focusing on rebuilding his life and volunteering with children battling cancer. He describes this work as part of his healing:
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t want to stay in bed feeling sorry for myself. I want to live, marry my fianc\u00e9e Ziv Abud, and start a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tents in central Gaza | Photo: Ali Hassan\/Flash90<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI want to return to a normal life\u201d<\/strong>
\nDespite the lasting physical wounds\u2014including a gunshot injury to his leg\u2014Cohen chooses to move forward.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t want to live in constant fear about how I\u2019ll make it through the month. I want to return to a normal life,\u201d he concluded resolutely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eliya Cohen, released after a year and a half in Hamas captivity, shared in an interview the story of a dramatic escape attempt from Gaza that failed when a local Gazan identified him as Jewish; \u201cI want to live, marry my fianc\u00e9e Ziv Abud, and start a family,\u201d said the survivor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":22446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,129,2276,6],"tags":[3477,3207,1476,1477,2595,1480,1705,1514,4003,2218],"class_list":["post-22444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-idf","category-judaism","category-people","category-security","tag-captivity","tag-eliya-cohen","tag-gaza","tag-hamas","tag-hostage-return","tag-israel","tag-israeli-hostages","tag-october-7","tag-operation-might-and-sword","tag-resilience"],"yoast_head":"\nEliya Cohen Describes the Moment He Was Identified as Jewish During Escape - 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