On Oct. 7, Tsachi Idan was brutally abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz. This happened before the eyes of his wife Gali and children Yael (12) and Shahar (10), after his daughter Maayan (18) was murdered beside him, and in front of the rest of the family as the two held the safe room door.
This is one of the most terrible and shocking stories of that day. The family experienced hours of terror and hell when held hostage at their home, as the terrorists broadcast what was happening on social media. The young son Shahar asked the terrorist if he was going to kill his father Tsachi and the terrorist told him: "If I kill him, I'll do it in another room." Tsachi said: "This is crazy." His wife Gali said she knows "Tsachi left in immense shock."
For days his family didn't know what happened to him, until hostages returned in November 2023. Former hostage Hagar Brodetz then told his family members, with permission from the Shin Bet, about their meeting in captivity inside Gaza. It appears that Hagar is the only one who met Tsachi in captivity for 48 hours before she was released.
In an interview, she said: "After five weeks they put us in a car and we set out on the roads of Gaza, suddenly the car stopped and someone else got on. He was wearing a COVID mask and a black wool hat. I said to my son Yuval: 'Come closer to me, give him room.' And then he said: 'Come Yuval, sit on me.'
"We weren't allowed to talk, but occasionally we exchanged a word and I understood he was from Nahal Oz, and already during the ride I understood what happened in the safe room," she added.
Devora Idan, Tsachi's mother, waged a persistent struggle to bring him back, participated in rallies, and appealed to leaders' hearts. At one point she said: "My son was abducted after his daughter was murdered in his hands. Our family lives in this nightmare and this surreal reality. Time is not on our side. The victory image is only the return of all hostages to their homes, healthy and whole as soon as possible. Without the hostages, there will be no more revival for the State of Israel."
In October 2024, Master Sergeant (res.) Guy Idan, Tsachi's cousin, was killed in Lebanon. Amir Idan, Guy's brother, and Tsachi's cousin said afterward: "Guy won't return to us, but Tsachi and the hostages must be returned before there are more widows, orphans, and bereaved parents."
