How freed hostage Almog Meir Jan found love after captivity

Almog Meir Jan, a 22-year-old from Or Yehuda, was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on the Nova music festival.

Almog’s ordeal began at the Supernova festival near Re’im, where he celebrated with friends just three months after completing his army service. Set to start a tech job at Ness Israel on October 8, he instead faced chaos and terror. At 7:45 a.m., he called his mother, Orit Meir, saying, “They’re shooting,” before adding, “I love you,” and losing contact. Trying to flee in a friend’s car, he was ambushed, and Hamas soon released a video showing him bound and terrified among five captives.

Held in Nuseirat, central Gaza, Almog spent eight months in the home of Abdallah Aljamal, a Hamas-linked journalist. Alongside Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv, also Nova abductees, he faced harsh conditions: bound hands and feet for over two months, blindfolded initially, and subjected to a captor he later called “psychotic” in a July 2024 Keshet 12 interview. Food was minimal but sufficient, and Almog learned Arabic and Russian from his companions to pass the time. He tracked days mentally and saw himself on Al Jazeera broadcasts of Israeli protests, a faint thread of hope amid guards’ taunts that Israel had forgotten him.

On June 8, 2024, the IDF’s “Operation Arnon” freed Almog, Kozlov, Ziv, and Noa Argamani from two Nuseirat locations. Named for Arnon Zmora, killed in the raid, the operation saw Almog airlifted to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, where he arrived in stable condition, greeted by jubilant friends. Sadly, just hours earlier, his father, Yossi Meir, 57, was found dead in Kfar Saba, possibly from a heart attack after months of grief-fueled decline. “He didn’t see Almog return,” his aunt Dina told Kan News.

During Almog’s rescue operation, on the morning of Saturday, June 8, Oshrat Hanum was in front of the TV and crying.

This is her story:

"I saw how sweet Almog was, how he raised his hand and smiled, as if saying, I beat captivity. Later, I saw that Idan posted a story from the hospital where Almog and his friends were celebrating.I went on Instagram and wrote him a message. not in a flirty way, just because he touched my heart.

I wrote: ‘Hi, what’s up? I studied with Idan (a mutual friend) in class, so great that you’re back, and how good it is that you’re home. I share in your sorrow (for his father who passed away before his return from captivity), know that all of Israel is happy you’re home, and I’m here if you need anything.’ And I added a heart.

Almog read it and wrote back: ‘Thank you so much, you moved me.’ We texted a bit more, and then I suggested we meet. I thought, what are the chances he’d actually want to sit down? He’s got captivity on his mind: Why am I jumping on him now?

He didn’t reply, and I went on with my life.One day I was at the beach, and suddenly he sent me a selfie; he was at Kfar Maccabiah. I sent him a picture of me at the beach. The next day, I was with my parents, and he called. I asked, ‘What are you up to? I live five minutes from Kfar Maccabiah: are you free?’ And I went to him, excited, because what do you say to him? You don’t know how to approach the situation. I stood in front of him and said, ‘Hi, so great that you’re here.’ I was blushing, but at the same time, I came with a certain confidence.

We sat on the balcony of his room. For seven hours, we just talked. Suddenly, I saw there was chemistry and a click, and at that moment, I said to myself, he’s mine. I got home and told my mom, ‘He has kind eyes.’ I’ve never met eyes like that in my life, and he has an amazing smile.

From there, we kept talking and meeting, and within a few days, it was clear we were together. I was drawn into it naturally. Today, Almog is the closest person to me in the world. For me, he’s a symbol of optimism, hope, and joy. This guy only sees the good. He says: ‘Life is a win. You have to appreciate every moment.’

Slowly, he’s coming back to himself, he went through captivity, after all, but he focuses on the good. Almog is currently choosing to focus on his lecture, doing everything to bring back his brothers still in captivity, and then his heart will be whole.”

Ynet contributed to this article.