Ohad Yahalomi (50) was abducted on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz. That Saturday he barricaded himself in the safe room with his wife Bat-Sheva and their three children. Since the safe room door wouldn't close, he went outside to protect his family and close the door on them from outside. When the terrorists entered the house, he was shot and wounded by the gunfire and Bat-Sheva and the children were abducted before his eyes. Later it turned out that Ohad was also abducted.
Amazingly, Bat-Sheva and their two young daughters managed to escape from the terrorists just before they crossed the fence into Gaza. However, their son Eitan (12) was abducted, then released as part of the first hostage deal after 52 days in captivity. Ohad remained behind. Since he was abducted, his wife has been raising their three children alone.
At a rally held at the Hostages Square, she recalled: "The captivity experiences are evident on Eitan. The fear of going to sleep, the nightmares, hair loss, restlessness, and loss of innocence. We will overcome all these eventually, I'm sure of that, but it can only happen when his father and the rest of the hostages return."
"The last image Eitan and his two sisters have of their father is Ohad lying on the floor, wounded and bleeding, after he left the safe room to protect us. About three weeks later came the news that he was abducted. And since January – radio silence. No information. Dad disappeared. So close, yet light years away."
Ohad is known as a family man, he loves spending time with his children and extended family. He loves cooking and food, he's charismatic, surrounded by dozens of close friends from different circles who are all working for his release from captivity.
Ohad has been a Nature and Parks Authority ranger for 19 years. Before that, he was an instructor at the Sde Boker Field School. People say about him that he's "a man of the desert", and knows every trail and inch in the Negev, the Judean Desert, and Jordan. He very much loves hiking with the children in the fields and nature. Alongside his work, he published a scorpion guide, together with partners.
