Israel
Former hostage Eliya Cohen and Nova survivor Ziv Abud get engaged
Cohen had vowed to wait until all the living hostages were home before proposing
October 24, 2025 10:15
Cohen had vowed to wait until all the living hostages were home before proposing
October 24, 2025 10:15Former hostage Eliya Cohen and his partner of eight years, Nova survivor Ziv Abud, have got engaged, with Cohen sticking to his pledge to wait until all the living hostages had arrived home before proposing.
Cohen, 28, was at the Nova festival on October 7, with Abud, also 28, and a group of friends and family members.
The couple fled and hid in a bomb shelter with relatives were friends, but Hamas terrorists discovered the shelter and opened fire. Cohen was discovered and kidnapped. He survived 505 days in Hamas captivity, and was released in February this year alongside Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert in a choreographed Hamas ceremony in Nuseirat, Gaza.
Abud, meanwhile, survived what later became known as the “shelter of death”, after 16 of the 27 people hiding in it were murdered. Along with Cohen, Or Levy, Alon Ohel and the late Hersh Goldberg-Polin were all captured there.
Footage of the couple’s engagement, which took place at the Setai Hotel in Tel Aviv, shared online shows the pair dressed casually in jeans and T-shirts, walking outside to a terrace to the cheers and applause of their friends and family waiting there.
Cohen then leads Abud to a large heart-shaped arrangement of white roses, inside of which the words “Will you marry me?” can be seen, before getting down on one knee and pulling out a ring box. A tearful Abud can be seen saying yes.
🤍 THE BIGGEST MAZEL TOV YET 🤍
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 23, 2025
Released hostage Eliya Cohen proposed to Nova survivor Ziv Abud today!
Ziv promised the proposal would only take place after all the living hostages returned home.
Could not be happier for the beautiful couple. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/CI9j63H1ya
Speaking about the early days of their relationship, Abud previously told Israeli lifestyle magazine Laisha: “We were part of the same music communities and connected online when I replied to one of his [Instagram] stories. I messaged him on Instagram, and he invited me to his IDF beret ceremony. I came – and that’s how it started.”
She also revealed that Cohen had been planning to propose before he was taken hostage, saying: “His mother told me he had bought a ring and told everyone except me. He wanted it to be a surprise.”
Speaking to CNN six months after his release, Cohen said: “I feel guilty when I eat. I feel guilty when I get showered. I feel guilty when I go to the hospital. I feel guilty because I know what they [the remaining hostages] are going through right now.”
Meanwhile Abud, recalling her experience in “the shelter of death”, told journalists: “The terrorists started pulling people out – including Eliya – and then they opened fire. People collapsed on top of me and saved my life. After three hours, I got up and saw [my 19-year-old nephew] Amit and [his girlfriend] Karin dead. I looked for Eliya and thought he was killed – until I saw a video on Telegram showing he was taken alive to Gaza.”
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