Yair Moses, the son of former hostage Gadi Moses, had vowed to not shave until his father returned home. After 482 days, Gadi Moses came home, and Yair kept his promise, shaving upon his return, with Gadi himself doing the honors on Friday.
Yair had publicly declared that he would not shave at all until his father was released from Hamas captivity, where he had been held since October 7.
Yair Moses, the son of released hostage Gadi Moses, vowed not to cut his hair or shave until his father was released from Gaza - so he finally shaved it off pic.twitter.com/LGDa52tGDV
— Tina (@Tina34832552745) January 31, 2025
Gadi's nephew, Shai Moses, told Maariv: "We are filled with immense joy, happy that he is with us and on his feet. We can't go into too many details, but he told us that he was alone the entire time. He said that it was difficult in terms of nutrition and hygiene and that he put a lot of effort into maintaining his sanity."
"We don't know exactly what he is aware of regarding Nir Oz, and we are revealing everything to him gradually. We are also hearing from him about what he knows regarding October 7, since he was there," he continued. "The terrorists took him from his home, but we don't know if he fully understands the magnitude of what happened there. We are slowly beginning to grasp more and more of it ourselves."
"One request that surprised us was that when he arrived at the hospital, he asked for an espresso," he said. "Later that evening, he raised a toast with the kids. We have a long road ahead of us in terms of rehabilitation and reintegration."
"We are grateful to have this moment, but we have not forgotten the 82 hostages still in captivity. We believe that the Israeli government must immediately begin negotiations for the second phase of the deal, both to ensure the current phase is not jeopardized and to bring everyone home as soon as possible - whether alive for rehabilitation or, tragically, for burial," he concluded he remarks. "The horrifying scene of their transfer to the Red Cross that we witnessed was a nightmare. It gave us just a small glimpse of what it means to be in captivity."
With Gadi back in Israel, the family gathered together at the hospital and enjoyed their first Shabbat meal together.
Held in Hamas captivity for 482 days
Gadi Moses, 80, was released after 482 days in Gaza captivity. He shared chilling details of his captivity—how he negotiated with his captors for books and TV, endured poor hygiene and food shortages, and discovered that his wife had been murdered on October 7.
Moses, who was released on Thursday, told his family about the inhumane conditions he endured as a hostage. He revealed that he could feel firsthand when food was available in Gaza and when it was not. Hygiene was a constant struggle, with limited showers and unsanitary conditions.
To preserve his sanity, Moses developed a strict survival routine—taking daily walks, solving math puzzles, and holding imaginary conversations with loved ones.
Moses explained that he negotiated with his captors to be allowed to watch television. At times, he was able to see footage of the protests demanding his release.
“There were moments when they let him watch, and moments when they didn’t. It was sporadic,” his nephew, Shai, told Walla. “But from what we heard from Margalit, who was released in the first hostage deal, there were moments where, despite everything, when you’re alone with a guard, it becomes a human-to-human interaction. Even though there was always a power imbalance, some form of negotiation was possible.”
As part of his dealings with his captors, Moses managed to obtain books in English, including one on environmental issues and another about Islam.
Moses’s emotional reunion with his family was captured in a powerful video, showing the 80-year-old embracing his grandson. The Red Cross transfer was tense, with crowds gathering around the convoy as it moved through Gaza.
“When we saw the video of Gadi hugging Arbel, we finally breathed a sigh of relief—he was on his feet,” Shai recalled. “We knew he was strong, but he is also 80. The last footage of him in December showed him standing, but exhausted and frail. Seeing him embrace Arbel—his warmth and fatherly presence—it was a moment of clarity: this was really Gadi.”
Now that Moses is free, his fight isn’t over.
“He is already thinking about the next steps,” Shai said. “But first, he needs to recover. Soon, he will return to the fight—not just for himself, but for every hostage still in Hamas captivity.”
Uri Sella contributed to this article.