Former hostage Nimrod Cohen plans to return to the IDF

Structure, healing, and unfinished service drive his decision, the former tank gunner said.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

In his first interview since being released among the last 20 live hostages in the Oct. 10 ceasefire deal, IDF Cpl. Nimrod Cohen told Channel 12 Friday that he would like to return to active military duty.

“I want to do something new in the army,” said the former 77th Battalion tank gunner, who was captured by Hamas fighters when he and his three fellow crewmembers were ambushed by dozens of Hamas invaders near Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of the mass terrorist invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

An IDF investigation later found that their tank’s active defense system malfunctioned before the vehicle was struck by either anti-tank missiles or an explosive device, setting it on fire and forcing the crew to flee.

Tank commander Capt. Omer Neutra, loader-radio operator Oz Daniel, and driver Shaken Dahan were all murdered by the attackers.

Cohen said he and the IDF are still determining his next assignment. “It’s in the works,” he noted.

Asked why he would return to service after nearly two years of physical and psychological abuse in captivity — particularly severe because he was an active-duty soldier — Cohen said structure and purpose were key.

“It’s about having a framework,” he said. “I don’t want to sit at home.”

He explained that reintegration is easier within the military than in civilian life. “In a military framework, they know who the person is, how to approach the situation, and what kinds of things might suit me — whether it’s sitting in front of a computer or being more active.”

Another reason, he noted, was the issue of meaningful service.

He said he had completed eight months of training and exercises in the Armored Corps but had served operationally for only about two months before being abducted.

“As I see it, I really didn’t do much during my service,” he said.

There were other advantages to putting the uniform back on, he said.

“The best way a person can heal is to be active and maintain a certain routine. Being at home all day would be awful,” he said.

Even leisure had its limits, according to Cohen.

“How much can you really travel?” he said, noting that since he had been freed four months ago, he had already flown abroad twice.

The trips had tired him out. “I felt I needed a bit of rest at home,” he said with a small smile.

Fellow hostages freed before Cohen attested that he had been forced to live in an animal cage in a Hamas tunnel for months and was often blindfolded, handcuffed, interrogated brutally, and left medically untreated when he suffered from a rash all over his body and caught an ear infection.

They also said he was forced to watch videos of friends being killed and became extremely withdrawn, although he sent reassuring messages to his family through the freed captives.