Former hostage Eliya Cohen prayed for the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza during a visit to the Western Wall.
The Tuesday visit, which took place during the holiday of Passover for the communal birkat kohanim (priestly blessing), marked exactly one year after Eliya’s mother, Sigi Cohen, prayed at the Western Wall for her son’s safe return, N12 reported.
This time, Sigi stood by his side, joined by Eliya’s girlfriend, Ziv Abud, for the communal prayer.
Sigi shared a photo of Eliya on Instagram, writing, “He dreamed of reaching this moment. This is his first time at the Western Wall since then.
Released after 505 days
Eliya was released from Hamas captivity in February after 505 days, along with Omer Wenkert and Omer Shem Tov.
Upon his return home, Eliya discovered that his girlfriend, Ziv, had also survived the October 7 massacre.
The two had attended the Nova music festival and sought refuge in a shelter, which became known as the “death bunker.” Of those who hid there, 16 were killed by terrorists, four were taken hostage, and seven were rescued by the IDF.
In a recent interview with N12, Eliya said it “doesn’t make sense” for the government to hear hostage testimonies and still choose to return to fighting.
“There are human beings underground there. We need to find a solution, sit at the negotiation table, and rack our brains on how to get these people out of there. In my view,” he emphasized,” it’s a death sentence.”