Eitan Avraham Mor, a 25-year-old Israeli security guard, was kidnapped by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023, after repeatedly going back to rescue concertgoers during an attack by the Palestinian militant group. Mor was among 20 surviving hostages who were freed Monday morning.
Mor was reunited with his parents at an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base at around 8 a.m. Israel Daylight Time, after more than two years in Hamas captivity.
Alan Kellerman, a Houston-based first cousin of Mor’s grandparents, was in Israel for the release.
“He looks happy,” Kellerman told Houston Public Media, “although a closer look, of course, he looked really glazed over and a bit disoriented, of course, all of which is really understandable given his two years in hell.”
On Oct. 7, 2023, the al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas attacked Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, including Mor. Israel responded by attacking Hamas targets in Gaza, including with a ground invasion. The war has lasted most of the past two years, with occasional ceasefires to exchange both living hostages and the remains of deceased hostages for Palestinian prisoners captured by the IDF.
The most recent exchange coincided with the signing of a peace deal Monday by multiple world leaders, with the intention of bringing the war to an end.
In addition to the 20 surviving hostages, Hamas is expected to release the remains of some 28 people who died in captivity. In exchange, Israel is set to release roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including about 250 convicted of murder or committing other deadly attacks against Israelis.
“It’s a complicated emotional situation, because there are hostages that are coming back dead,” Kellerman said. “So, there’s joy, and there’s grief, and there’s loss, and there’s anger, and there’s relief, and so many emotions. But I think, overall, there’s a celebratory feeling here and a hopefulness that the country can start to have more of a normal life now.”
Kellerman said that, while he’s concerned about his cousin’s mental and emotional well-being, he holds out high hopes for Mor’s eventual recovery.
“Eitan’s father is a therapist here in Israel, and his parents I think are very emotionally attuned and have good emotional intelligence, and that, I think, bodes well for Eitan and the rest of the family,” Kellerman said.
