Kidnapping of Elkana Bohbot

Elkana Bohbot
Bohbot, left, after his release in October 2025
Born
Holon, Israel
Known forHis abduction to Gaza during the Nova festival massacre
SpouseRivka Bohbot

Elkana Bohbot is an Israeli man who was abducted by Hamas on October 7th 2023 Supernova music festival. He was released after 738 days in captivity.

Background

Elkana Bohbot lived in Mevaseret Zion, a town near Jerusalem. Prior to being kidnapped by Hamas, Bohbot was employed by a production company that constructs stages for large events.[1] Bohbot was a logistic manager from the company that produced the Nova Music Festival.[2] In addition, Bohbot planned to open a gourmet ice cream shop in Tel Aviv.[3] During his captivity, his family continued to pay rent on a Tel Aviv market stall for his ice cream shop.[3] He married Rebecca (Rivka) Gonzales, a Colombian citizen, and together they have a son named Re’em.[4][5][6]

Kidnapping

Further information: Nova music festival massacre

On October 7th, 2023, Bohbot called his family to inform them that he was helping wounded Nova Party attendees after gunfire erupted at the party. Bohbot's mother, Ruhama, told Jewish News Syndicate that she was at home with her daughter-in-law, Rivka, and her grandson. After seeing alarming reports on television, Ruhama awoke Rivka and told her that "it looked like war had begun."

At 7:50 a.m., Bohbot received a call from his mother and told her he was helping others evacuate the festival. Rivka called him to warned him about armed terrorists in pickup trucks pretending to be soldiers. Bohbot promised to return home soon. At noon, a friend of Bohbot's called the family tell them that Elkana had been kidnapped and then shared video proof.[4]

A Hamas video posted online on October 7, 2023, showed Bohbot, bound and injured in the face, being held by the armed group. In this video, a bloodied Bohbot can be seen laying on the floor, along four other hostages abducted from the Nova festival: Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Almog Meir Jan and Bar Kupershtein.[7] A month after his kidnapping, Colombian President Gustavo Petro gave Bohbot Colombian nationality.[5]

Captivity

During his captivity, Hamas published multiple videos of Elkana Bohbot filmed under duress.[3] In March 2025, Hamas released multiples videos of Bohbot, marking the first video proof-of-life of Bohbot since October 7.[8] In the video, Bohbot refers to himself as prisoner number 22 and begs to be released from captivity.[7][9] In April, Elkana was filmed holding a fake telephone conversation with his wife, Rivka and their son, Re’em, and his mother and brother. In the staged video Bohbot pleads with his family on the fake phone call to help him get out of Gaza.[10]

In May 2025, Hamas released another video featuring hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Chaim Ohana. In the video, Ohana is seen sitting beside a mattress where Bohbot lies under a blanket. In the video Ohana refers to himself as “prisoner number 21" and Bohbot as "prisoner number 22." Throughout the broadcast, Ohana begs with the audience for their release and warns that Bohbot has tried to harm himself in captivity.[11][1]

After the May video release, Bohbot's mother stated that it's uncharacteristic of her son to break down. She told the Jewish News Syndicate: “I haven’t stopped vomiting; we’re all broken,” she said. “These videos are not good … every one of them is another punch to the stomach. To me, it’s not a sign of life. It just shows how much danger he is in.”[4]

In his more than two years in captivity, Bohbot made a toy for his five-year-old son as a way to pass the time. Bohbot's family has also shared other details about his time in captivity, telling Israeli media that Bohbot did not receive food over the last few months before his release, and spent most of his time in Gaza chained in a tunnel, where he lost track of time and space.[12]

In the tunnels, Bohbot's captors kept watch on Bohbot from about 300 yards away. Bohbot was held in captivity with Ohad Ben Ami, Yosef Ohana, Bar Kupershtein, Maxim Herkin, and Segev Kalfon. They were given rice with worms, moldy pita and sometimes nothing at all to eat. During the January 2025 Gaza war ceasfire, Hamas told the six hostages that three would be executed and three would be shot in leg.[13] After the hostages refused to choose which three of them would be killed, the terrorists spent hours changing which hostages would be killed or wounded, although neither action was ultimately carried out.[13]

Efforts to release

At the beginning of the hostage crisis, Bohbot's family's was encouraged to not be vocal about his captivity.[14] However, after Bohbot was slated to be released in phase two of the January 2025 Gaza war Ceasefire, his wife became more publicly involved in efforts to free the remaining hostages.[14] In March of 2025, Bohbot's nephew, Menashe Harush, told Jewish News Syndicate that he had been living and sleeping in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square since October 8, 2023, to raise awareness of Bohbot's plight at the hands of Palestinian terrorists.[9]

After two videos of Bohbot were published in March 2025, Bohbot's family made the following statement:

“We are anxious and worried. How much longer can Elkana survive in the hell of Gaza? We are pleading with the people of Israel—listen to Elkana’s cry. Do not forget him. We must save him and our brothers in captivity. This is the second sign of life we have received this week. How many more will there be? Signs of life must not become final memories."[7]

In May of 2025 Bohbot's mother once again spoke to the press after another video of Bohbot was released of her son suffering in Hamas captivity. In the interview Bohbot's mother expressed concern regarding the uncertainty surrounding how many of the remaining hostages in Gaza were in fact alive.[10][15]

Release

Elkana Bohbot was released from Hamas captivity on October 13, 2025. His wife called the event more emotional than her wedding day. In a post-release statement, Rivka Bohbot, did not mention the Israeli government but thanked the Israeli nation, the Hostages Forum, the IDF and security forces, US President Donald Trump, envoy Steve Witkoff, and the US government for helping bring her husband home.[16]

Rivka Bohbot shared that her husband was adjusting well to his return to freedom, though had forgotten many of the house rules including putting down the toilet seat after use. Her updates on her husband's recovery have been a welcome addition of humor into a rather harrowing and disturbing story of two years in Hamas captivity.[17]

However other stories of his time in captivity are less easy to digest. Bohbot's mother says she does not know how her son survived. “He was bound, blindfolded, his hands and feet tied." Bohbot has told his mother about being in the back of a pickup truck with Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, and Bar Kupershtein. Bohbot was lying on top of them and was beaten brutally by Hamas in Gaza.[17]

In October 2025, a video of Bohbot returning home was released to the public.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "'Our Lives Are in Imminent Danger:' Hamas Publishes Video of Hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Chaim Ohana". Haaretz.
  2. ^ Peleg, Bar. "Hamas publishes video of hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Chaim Ohana". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2025-05-10. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  3. ^ a b c Lidman, Melanie (2025-05-08). "Mother of hostage Elkana Bohbot fumes over mixed signals on how many captives dead". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  4. ^ a b c Botbol, Amelie (2025-05-14). "Mother of captive Elkana Bohbot speaks out after Hamas propaganda video". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  5. ^ a b "Wife of Colombian-Israeli hostage receives proof of life". France 24. 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  6. ^ Colombia, Embassy of (2024-03-07). "Statement Embassy of Colombia in the United States". colombiaembassy. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  7. ^ a b c Staff, J. N. S. (2025-03-29). "Hamas releases second propaganda video of captive Elkana Bohbot". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  8. ^ Izso, Ivana Kottasová, Lauren (2025-03-24). "'Imagine this is your son': Family of hostage in new Hamas video plead with Netanyahu and Trump". CNN. Retrieved 2025-12-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b Botbol, Amelie (2025-03-24). "Hamas releases footage of hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  10. ^ a b Lidman, Melanie (2025-05-08). "Mother of hostage Elkana Bohbot fumes over mixed signals on how many captives dead". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  11. ^ "i24NEWS". www.i24news.tv. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  12. ^ Goorwich, Siam (2025-10-17). "Hostage Elkana Bohbot stitched a doll for his son using scraps of fabric while in captivity". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  13. ^ a b "Beaten and Starved: Israeli Hostage Recounts 2 Years of Captivity". The New York Times.
  14. ^ a b "Elkana Bohbot's wife speaks about his Gaza captivity, Hamas video | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2025-03-28. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  15. ^ español, MELANIE LIDMAN Leer en (2025-05-07). "Mother of Gaza hostage is furious over mixed signals on how many captives are dead". AP News. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  16. ^ Steinberg, Jessica (2025-10-14). "Wife of freed hostage Elkana Bohbot thanks those who helped bring husband home, snubs PM". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  17. ^ a b "Elkana Bohbot's wife speaks on life together after reunion | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2025-11-01. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  18. ^ Released Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot speaks to wellwishers after returning home. Retrieved 2025-12-08 – via apnews.com.
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