Released hostages go to the beach together, fulfilling vow made in Gaza tunnels

Liam Or was freed during he initial November 2023 hostage deal; Omer Wenkert was released in February 2025. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Freed hostages Liam Or and Omer Wenkert fulfilled a promise on Wednesday that they had made to each other as fellow captives in a Gaza tunnel.

When the two met on October 7 in the tunnels, they vowed to go to the beach together upon their release.

“Our plan was simple,” Wenkert wrote on social media. “As soon as we were free, we’d head straight to the beach. Liam was released under the first deal, and he asked me, ‘What do I do now?’ I smiled and said, ‘Go to the beach.’ But he insisted on waiting for me.”

“Now, 483 days later, our moment has finally arrived,” he added. However, “I’m waiting for my moment with Evyatar [David] and Guy [Gilboa-Dalal]. I’m waiting for you at home, my brothers. Bring everyone home now.”

Wenkert was released along with five other hostages in February, after which he described the deprivation, humiliation, abuse, starvation and isolation during his captivity in Gaza.

In the final eight months, Shem Tov, Tal Shoham and Omer Wenkert were held together in a tunnel, where they endured extreme humidity and were given very little food. The hostages reported losing track of time and having no idea what month it was.

Until he was placed in a tunnel with two other hostages, Wenkert was held in complete isolation and had no idea that there were efforts to free him and the other hostages.

Liam Or, who was freed in November 2023 in the first hostage-release deal, said that during his captivity, his hands were tied behind his back; he was forced to sleep on sand and stones and was fed small portions of cake “to make sure I’d die slowly.”

“When your hands are tied, you can’t stop the monsters there from abusing you,” Or said.

Like other released captives, Liam Or advocates for the release of the hostages. “It’s like a holocaust for over a year,” he said.