Family of freed hostage Miran reflects on his 2 years of Hamas captivity in Gaza

Omri Miran survived two years in Hamas captivity in Gaza and was among the last 20 living hostages to be released on Monday as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire agreement. Miran was kidnapped into Gaza by terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, in front of his wife and children from their home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

On Friday, Omri’s father, Danny Miran, spoke with Israeli news outlet N12 about his son’s long captivity.

“He knew how to keep himself busy. He was well-fed and never starved. He cooked for himself and even for the terrorists," Danny said. "He even decided which spices they should bring. Of course, there were worse days, like when they locked him in a cage. But if there was anyone who could handle captivity, it was him.”

Danny revealed that Omri had an ability to connect with people during his long captivity in Gaza.

"One day, they took him to the sea. He's connected to many people, and apparently, he built relationships wherever he went in Gaza. People there recognized his strength and unique character. When he wanted to say no, he made sure to do so," the father said.

In April, Hamas released a propaganda video that showed proof of life from Omri, which coincided with the eve of the Holocaust Remembrance Day.

“On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we say ‘Never Again,’ an Israeli citizen is crying for help from Hamas tunnels. This is a disgrace for the State of Israel. Our Omri is strong and will not break, but our hearts are broken. For a year and a half, he and 58 other hostages have been waiting to be brought back. We will not give up and will continue to fight until Omri returns to us – especially to his two daughters, who are waiting with all their hearts to hug him again,” Miran's family stated in response to the video clip.

Although Omri was among the last 20 living hostages in Gaza, his father emphasized that his son’s resilience was what enabled him to survive nearly two years in captivity.

"In the last video we saw, we, as a family, recognized it was him. We could tell he was unwilling, but still, he stood strong. What happened was that the terrorists filmed him once, but their commander wasn’t satisfied with the result. He said Omri hadn’t made the right movements,” Danny revealed.

"They forced him to film again. Omri told them, 'I won’t do it again, this is all I’ve got.' They filmed him again, but even then, he didn’t act as they wanted. At that point, the commander got angry and approached Omri with a gun. Omri said, 'This is all I know, do what you want, do you understand?'"

However, Danny also revealed that tensions between Omri and the captors eased after the video clip disagreement.

"After that, the tension eased. He even confronted the terrorists about their agreements. There were times when they cursed Sinwar and Hamas leadership, blaming them for the ongoing war.”

Omri’s brother, Boaz, said Miran was kept in a tiny cell during the first period of his captivity.

“At first, there were five hostages in a cage just 1.8 meters by 1.6 meters. You couldn’t stand – you had to crouch,” Boaz explained. “Gradually, they took people out until only he and one other hostage were left.”

Boaz also revealed that his captured brother was bound during the first three weeks of his captivity in Gaza.

“We don’t know why. It had to do with the terrorists who were holding them. They kept changing – the locations, the people, everything,” Boaz said.