Ex-hostage: Fight for freedom of captives is ‘most Israeli, Jewish, human thing we can do'
On the 600th day since Hamas abducted 251 people from Israel, former hostage Eliya Cohen urged the public to continue fighting for those still held in Gaza, calling the mission 'the most Israeli, the most Jewish, and the most human thing we can do,' according to a statement released by the Israeli-American Council (IAC).
Cohen, 26, was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, and was held in Gaza for 505 days before being released in February 2025. During the attack, Cohen and his fiancée, Ziv Abud, sought refuge in what later became known as the 'death shelter' near Kibbutz Re'im. Abud survived by hiding under the bodies of other victims for six hours. Cohen, meanwhile, was abducted, shot in the leg, and subjected to brutal conditions in Hamas's underground tunnels.
Despite the trauma, Cohen reportedly performed kiddush before Shabbat and maintained a routine of prayer, even while in captivity, as revealed by messages passed on by released hostages. He was unaware that his fiancée had survived until he returned to Israel after his release, as part of a ceasefire agreement.
'I may be here, but part of me is still in Gaza,' Cohen said during the 'Israel United: Celebrating Israel at 77' mega event Tuesday night at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. 'You have united, together, to call for the release of the hostages. You told our stories. You stood up for us. For 505 days, you were fighting for me, while I was in the tunnels under Gaza. And since my release, I've been joining you in that fight. Because the hostages still need your help. It is possible to bring them home — just like I came home.'
The event was organized by the IAC, Jewish Federation Los Angeles, the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, and StandWithUs. It marked 600 days since the October 7 Hamas massacre, which left more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals dead and 251 kidnapped.
'Today, we mark 600 days — 600 days that our brothers and sisters are in captivity. Six hundred days that Am Yisrael [the people of Israel] has not been able to heal. Six hundred days of pain and waiting. There are still 58 hostages. We cannot give up. We cannot lose hope,' Cohen said.
He added, 'Independence is more than a date on the calendar — it's the ability to live freely. The fact that I survived, and that I am standing here before you tonight — that is a miracle. After 505 days in captivity, I know the true meaning of freedom.'
Also speaking at the event was IAC CEO Elan Carr, the former US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. In the IAC statement, Carr described Israel's founding as a transformative moment in global history.
'May 1948 was a watershed moment for human history,' Carr said in the statement. 'Just as the Biblical Exodus from Egypt inspired America's founding and the US Civil Rights movement, the creation of Israel was history's greatest story of national self-determination. Israel has done more to elevate the human condition than almost any other country.'
Other dignitaries in attendance included Israel's Consul-General in Los Angeles Israel Bachar, Congressman Brad Sherman, Jewish Federation Los Angeles President and CEO Rabbi Noah Farkas, StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein, and Australian media personality Erin Molan.
The evening featured performances by Israeli singer Itay Levi and American actor and comedian Elon Gold. Levi brought Cohen onstage and dedicated a song to him and to all the remaining hostages.
According to the IAC, the event aimed to celebrate Israel's 77th Independence Day while honoring the unity of the Jewish people and renewing the call for the release of all hostages.
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