The story of Ohad Ben-Ami's captivity crystallizes the ongoing hostage crisis through intimate family details: a daughter discovering her father's capture through social media; a wife returning home alone from Hamas captivity; and a warm house in Kibbutz Be'eri that stands empty waiting for his return.
This 56-year-old resident, taken from his home in sleepwear alongside his wife Raz during the October 7 attack, represents one of the many personal tragedies still unfolding in the wake of Hamas' assault on Israel's Gaza border communities.
Kidnapped alongside his wife Raz Ben-Ami during the Oct. 7 attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, their ordeal began after an extended period hiding in their safe room. The terrorists, who initially passed by their seemingly empty house, later returned. Ohad's last message to his daughter was chilling: "They are with us. I hear gunshots." The enduring image of his capture shows him being led away by terrorists, dressed only in a short-sleeved shirt and underwear, while his wife Raz Ben Ami (57) was similarly taken in her sleepwear.
Recently freed from Hamas captivity, his wife Raz shared her anguish: "My husband Ohad, the love of my life and father of my children, remains in captivity. On October 7, the terrorists shattered our paradise and dragged us in our pajamas into hell. The world must not maintain its silence. Each day he spends there endangers his life. Bring him home now."
