Father pleas for son’s return after 614 days as Hamas hostage in Gaza

For 614 days — 614 endless days and nights — my son Segev has been held captive in the underground tunnels of Gaza, a prisoner of Hamas terrorists who stole him from the Nova music festival on that horrific October 7 morning. 

He was one of 251 hostages taken, and today, 55 remain in captivity in Gaza.

I am asking you to imagine something no parent should ever have to contemplate: How would you feel if your child—whom you raised, protected, and loved every day of their life—was trapped in the hands of monsters? How would you cope knowing your son is suffering torture, both physical and psychological, starving in darkness while you helplessly count each passing hour? 

Segev is my middle son. He is funny, sharp, smart and compassionate. He worked alongside me in our family bakery. 

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On October 7, he went to the Nova festival with his friend Asaf. We were in regular contact with Segev when the missile alerts began. We told him to come home immediately, and he reassured my wife and I that there was nothing to worry about. We didn’t even think terrorists were involved—just alerts that would pass like they always do.

Despite observing the Sabbath, we turned on the television to understand what was happening, and that’s when I saw the horrors unfolding on the news. I called Segev to warn him about the terrorist infiltration, and I could hear him running while he said there was gunfire and that he would return to us later. That was the last time I heard his voice.

I rushed to a hospital down south and found complete chaos, with wounded people arriving from the party. I was desperately asking everyone if they had seen Segev, praying I might find him among the injured rather than face what I was beginning to fear. Then they called me home because Asaf had returned with devastating news—he had witnessed Segev being kidnapped.

They tried to escape together. They ran through the fields, and in a split-second decision that would change everything, Segev chose to cross the road while Asaf hid in nearby bushes. Asaf watched helplessly as terrorists captured my son and threw him into their vehicle.

My son is still there. 

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A couple of months ago, a hostage who spent time with Segev in captivity reached out to us. At first, he described the close bonds that formed between the hostages and how they managed to observe the Sabbath together on Fridays. But as we talked longer, the terrible reality of what they endured began to surface – systematic torture, deliberate starvation, relentless psychological abuse. 

Every morning I wake up in dread. Every night I lie awake imagining my son crying out in that underground hell, wondering if anyone can hear him. I want him to know that he must hold on, even though it’s incredibly difficult. We are people of faith. I pray that he can look up, raise his head, and find strength for his soul. I need him to continue being strong.

My family is on the edge of sanity. Since Segev was kidnapped, we haven’t stopped fighting to bring him home. We participate in demonstrations, meet with decision-makers and work to raise public awareness about his situation and that of the other hostages. We cannot relax for even a moment. How can we? 

We marked Segev’s 27th birthday this past January — his second birthday in captivity. How do you celebrate when your child is trapped in darkness?

We rely on you. We need international – and specifically American involvement. Thanks to President Donald Trump, himself a father who understands the sacred bond between parent and child, we have seen many hostages return home. Because of Trump and his administration, I watched many families reunite. Many friends of mine, who over the past year and more have become like one big family, are embracing their loved ones again.

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President Trump accomplished something impossible. But tragically, months have passed since those hostages returned, fighting has intensified, and this puts the remaining hostages in even greater danger. We hear testimonies about the impossible conditions in which the hostages are held, about medical neglect, and the abuse they experience. The knowledge that Segev is alive gives me hope, but also deepens my despair. Just thinking about him and the others who remain trapped in that hell becomes its own form of torture. 

To every father reading this: imagine how you would feel, how you would cope — knowing your son, your child, is held captive by terrorists. Undergoing torture. How would you manage to survive tomorrow? I am Segev’s father. I will never stop being his father.  

I will never stop fighting for him.

I don’t wish these feelings on any parent. I am begging you: don’t turn away from our pain. Don’t let these 55 hostages become forgotten numbers. Segev is not just a statistic—he is my son.

This Father’s Day, as you embrace your children, remember mine. Think of the 55 who have been trapped in terrorist tunnels for more than 600 days. Their time is running out. My son and 54 others are waiting for us to bring them home. They are waiting for the world to remember that they are not numbers—they are beloved children whose fathers will never, ever stop fighting for their return.