Starvation, Beatings, and Isolation: Hostage Survivor Nimrod Cohen Returns at 46 Kilos, This is His Story.

Nimrod Cohen, a former soldier held captive by Hamas terrorists for over two years, was released weighing a mere 46 kilograms and completely unaware of the massive public movement and protests demanding his return. His mother, Vicki Cohen, a prominent voice in the public struggle, shared devastating details of his captivity, revealing that he endured starvation, beatings, and profound isolation in the tunnels.

Vicki Cohen spoke about the immense two-year battle to bring her son home after he was abducted as a soldier on October 7, 2023. She described the emotional moment of reunion: "Nothing I imagined was as accurate as the massive surge of emotions we felt when we hugged Nimrod, what a colossal and wonderful thing it was."

The Terror of the Return

The reunion was preceded by a terrifying, tense phone call arranged by the terrorists. Vicki recounted the moment: "When he returned, his eyes said everything. His words came out broken with excitement."

She described the conversation where a Hamas terrorist allowed her son to briefly speak. "The breathing stopped during that conversation. Every minute felt like an eternity," she recalled. "We just screamed. He tried to speak, but we couldn’t hear what he was saying. We told him we missed him and loved him... he said not to worry because we would meet soon."

Vicki revealed that Nimrod, who stands at 1.65 meters tall, had been a strong, muscular young man who trained regularly. In captivity, he lost 15 kilograms, returning home weighing only 46 kilograms. "He lost a lot of his body weight... The body weakened," she said.

Survival in the Tunnels

Nimrod’s survival came despite immense physical hardship. He told his mother that the food scarcity worsened over time, particularly recently, leaving him without the strength to exercise. "He lost all the mass," Vicki explained. "He needed to get back all the deficiencies, the vitamins and everything he was denied: nutrition, sun exposure."

Conditions were subject to constant change, depending on the flow of aid and political rhetoric. Vicki revealed that when Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made provocative statements regarding captured terrorists, the conditions for the hostages were directly worsened.

Nimrod also suffered from physical abuse. "Nimrod doesn't say everything, maybe he doesn't want to worry us, but there were moments of fear and life danger, of stings and beatings." She added that the abduction itself was "very cruel," with him being beaten on the head and dragged.

Despite the darkness, Nimrod was not alone. He was with other good people, and they reinforced each other, sharing their lives and creating structure to maintain sanity. They had a division of labor, Nimrod cleaned the toilets and washed dishes on certain days. He also relied on music: "He helped himself a lot by humming many songs... The returnees who were with him told me they heard him humming a lot, and sometimes it even annoyed them. But that's what helped him."

Disbelief at the Public Battle

One of the most profound revelations was Nimrod’s complete ignorance of the public movement for his release. "He didn't know about the public struggle. They were not exposed to the media at all. The only information they received was what the captors told them."

The terrorists told them that the Israeli people did not care, the government had given up on them, and no one was fighting for them. When his family showed him photos of the rallies, the posters, and the massive crowds who showed up for his 21st birthday celebration, "he was in disbelief. He was simply astonished," Vicki said, which "made him happy and emotional."

Nimrod's personal mission in captivity, he told his mother, was to survive: "My role, my mission, was to stay alive." He refrained from any reckless escape attempts.

The focus now is on his rehabilitation, which is complicated by ongoing online attacks against his family, who were vocal critics of the government's handling of the crisis. "He only just returned home and is already exposed to these things," Vicki lamented. "These slanders are false, divisive, and do not contribute to his recovery."

The family's fight continues for his comrades, Omer Neutra and Oz Daniel, who are still held by the terrorists.