A Life Mission
A Promise: Slain Hostage's Son Vows to Build 'Bigger, Stronger' Nir Oz to Defy Hamas
Son of slain hostage Amiram Cooper vows to rebuild Kibbutz Nir Oz 'bigger and stronger' as a message of defiance to Hamas, while pressing for return of remaining hostages' bodies.
Rotem Cooper, the son of deceased hostage Amiram Cooper, today used his family’s tragedy to press for continued military and diplomatic action against Hamas, while vowing to restore the devastated community of Kibbutz Nir Oz as a message of defiance to the terror group.
Speaking from his parents’ partially reconstructed home in the "ground zero" kibbutz, Cooper confirmed that his father's body remains the last of a seven-person hostage group still held in Gaza. Amiram Cooper, an 85-year-old economist and poet, was killed in captivity after being abducted alongside his wife, Nurit, from Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.
Pressure on Hamas Must Continue
Rotem Cooper, who lives in the U.S., praised the recent ceasefire agreement, which stipulated the release of all Israeli hostages, for its immediate results, but stressed that the work is unfinished until all bodies are returned for burial.
“It’s a terrific agreement,” says Cooper of the ceasefire. He added that the deal has had “terrific outcomes. We’re in a different situation than we were two weeks ago, with 20 living hostages home and 15 returned for burial.”
However, with his father Amiram’s body still unrecovered, along with 12 others, Cooper demanded continued “pressure on Hamas to release the remaining deceased hostages.”
Amiram Cooper and his wife were abducted together; Nurit was released in October 2023. Amiram was later featured in a Hamas propaganda clip and was formally confirmed killed in June 2024. Despite the recovery of six bodies from his group, including friends Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, and Nadav Popplewell, Amiram's body is still held in the Strip.
Rebuilding Nir Oz as an Act of Resilience
Cooper’s briefing took place against the backdrop of Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community of 400 that suffered catastrophic losses on October 7, with 64 residents killed and 76 taken hostage. All but six of its homes were destroyed or burned.
Cooper expressed cautious optimism about the signs of recovery, pointing to plastered bullet holes in his parents' home:
“It’s encouraging to see. For a long time there were only burned houses here.”
He revealed that some 80 people, a mix of kibbutz members and army personnel, will soon be living in the community. Cooper linked the rebuilding effort directly to his father’s memory and the collective trauma of the kibbutz.
He concluded with a powerful vow that rebuilding the kibbutz "bigger, stronger and more beautiful" is essential, declaring: “That will send a message to Hamas.”