Freed hostage Omri Miran made his first visit to Hostages Square on Friday, nearly three weeks after he was freed from Hamas captivity, where he was held for two years after being kidnapped from his Nahal Oz home on October 7, 2023.

“I’m here, and I know that while my nightmare and my family’s nightmare have ended, there are still eleven families living in terrible uncertainty,” Miran said. “I’ve seen and heard how much strength you gave my family during the hardest times, and now I want to give that same strength to the families whose loved ones have not yet returned. Let’s continue until the last hostage comes home.”

He also asked those gathered to stand for a moment of silence in memory of the victims from Nahal Oz, saying, “All those murdered and fallen from the kibbutz on that cursed day are etched in my heart.”

“I’m at a loss for words to explain how moved I am,” he went on. “In the two and a half weeks since I’ve been here, I’ve heard only a fraction of all that has been done. How, out of pain, devastation, and trauma, you rose up and stood beside my family. For that, I thank you deeply.”

Expressing his love for those in attendance, Miran told the crowd, “You give me........

© The Times of Israel