Former hostage turns ‘darkest place’ into inspiring music

After 477 days in Hamas captivity, former IDF soldier Daniella Gilboa is reclaiming her voice with a debut song about survival and coming home.

By World Israel News Staff

Former hostage Daniella Gilboa, a surveillance soldier from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, has released her debut single, “Where Everything Ends,” roughly a year after returning home from captivity in Gaza — a milestone she says marks both the beginning of her healing and the start of a new path in music.

Gilboa was abducted during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, when she was 19 years old and serving as a lookout soldier.

She was one of several female troops taken from the Nahal Oz base that day and was held in Gaza for 477 days before being freed.

Her new song, co-written with musicians Gil Vain and Uri Sachiv, is an intensely personal reflection on her journey — from trauma and captivity to recovery and homecoming. The track is expected to be part of a broader musical project she is now developing, including an album of songs she has written.

According to Gilboa, music was always central to her life even before the war. She played piano and wrote songs from a young age, and dreamed of pursuing music professionally long before October 7.

That dream, interrupted by her abduction, has now become part of her rehabilitation process and renewed sense of purpose.

The song itself chronicles her emotional journey from what she described as “the darkest place” to moments of hope, light, and return.

It is written from her personal perspective and draws directly on her experiences in captivity and her ongoing recovery.

During her time in Gaza, Gilboa and other hostages struggled to maintain a sense of identity and normalcy. She later recounted that they clung to small rituals and traditions, including reciting Jewish prayers and making the Shabbat evening blessing even when wine was unavailable — using water instead.

She also said she was forced by her captors to record a video staged to make it appear as though she had died.

After her release, Gilboa began a long process of physical and emotional rehabilitation. In interviews, she has described working through trauma while slowly returning to daily routines and rediscovering creative expression. Music, she said, became a “safe place” and a way to process the experiences she endured.

In one interview, she explained that her goal now is to wake up each morning with a sense of purpose and do what she truly loves — a reflection of how her priorities have shifted since returning home.

The debut single also carries a broader message beyond her personal story. It represents resilience and the determination of former hostages to rebuild their lives after the October 7 attacks and months of captivity.

For Gilboa, releasing the song publicly was a significant step: not only a creative milestone, but a declaration that she is moving forward and reclaiming her voice.

Her musical path may also include additional collaborations and future releases. The single is the first in what is expected to be a larger body of work documenting her experiences and healing process through songwriting.

Gilboa has said that she hopes listeners will hear both the pain and the hope embedded in the song — and understand the emotional journey behind it. For her, music is no longer just a dream or a hobby, but part of rebuilding a life interrupted by war, captivity, and loss.

Listen to her debut single:

Daniella GilboahostageMusic