Freed Hostage Elkana Bohbot Begins Healing Journey Through Book and Speaking Tour

After 738 days in Hamas captivity, Elkana Bohbot is rebuilding his life one word, one step, and one family moment at a time.

The former hostage, who was abducted on October 7 from the Nova music festival he helped organize, says he has returned home a “completely different person.” Now, his focus is on healing and ensuring the world never forgets what happened.

Bohbot is writing a memoir titled “738 Days in Hamas Captivity,” a project he describes as central to his recovery. “I’m trying to push it,” he said in a radio interview. “It’s important to me that the book is in every home. That’s my mission.”

He is also preparing for a lecture tour set to begin in Israel in March, with plans to travel internationally afterward. Sharing his story, he says, is part of his responsibility not only for himself but for those who did not return.

“My recovery is also my explanation, to perpetuate my friends, may their memories be a blessing,” he said.

Before October 7, Bohbot was deeply immersed in music and festival culture. When rockets began falling that morning, he helped shut down the Nova festival and urged people to flee.

“When the rockets started, a police officer ran up to me and told me we needed to disperse the event,” he recalled. “We shut off the music, and I told everyone to get out of there. Those are the moments I’ll never forget for my whole life.”

Today, his life looks very different. He describes himself as a “full-time dad,” dedicating his energy to reconnecting with his young son and rebuilding family bonds with the help of psychiatric support.

“I’m over the moon, I won my life back as a prize,” he said. “I’m at Sheba every week, getting treatment with my son. We do a lot of things together.”

Small milestones now carry enormous meaning. On Family Day, his son drew a picture of the family this time filled with bright colors.

“You could finally see yellow, blue, red,” Bohbot said proudly. “He drew the whole family together.”

He is especially looking forward to celebrating Purim. For two years in captivity, he imagined what costume his son might be wearing.

“It ate at my heart in the tunnels,” he admitted. “Now my ultimate happiness is to go eat ice cream with him. Everything is new experiencing a child anew.”

Israeli society’s embrace has also strengthened him. As a longtime Beitar Jerusalem supporter, he was recently invited as a guest of honor to a match at Teddy Stadium.

“I grew up in the eastern stands. I was a member for ten years. The other day, I had one of the craziest moments of my life,” he said. “These moments can’t be put into words.”

Recovery is not linear. Bohbot acknowledges the sleepless nights and quiet moments when painful memories resurface.

“There’s a lot of pain and loss that I’m carrying,” he said. “Beyond the suffering I went through, I have those hard moments when I find myself alone, and then my thoughts start to wander. That’s where my fear is.”

Yet even in those moments, his commitment is clear to live fully, to honor the fallen, and to tell the story.

From the darkness of tunnels to the light of family drawings filled with color, Elkana Bohbot’s journey reflects both the wounds and the enduring spirit of a nation determined to remember and to move forward.

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