October 7 · Personal story
Dafna Elyakim
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Her father’s home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz
Current outcome
Released alive · November 26, 2023
Released alive with her younger sister Ella during the first hostage exchange, after 51 days in captivity.
01
Before October 7
Dafna was 15 and lived with her mother, Maayan. On October 7, 2023, she was visiting her father, Noam Elyakim, at Kibbutz Nahal Oz with her eight-year-old sister Ella. The household included their father’s partner, Dikla Arava, and her son Tomer.
02
October 7
Dafna and Ella were abducted from their father’s home during the attack on Nahal Oz. Reports identified the sisters among the children held in Gaza after the October 7 attack. Noam, his partner Dikla and her seventeen-year-old son Tomer were killed; their bodies were later found near the Gaza border.
03
Captivity
Dafna and Ella spent 51 days in Gaza. Dafna later recalled captivity alongside IDF lookout Liri Albag: they sang, spoke about restaurants and family, and tried to fill the hours. At a May 2025 public event, Dafna said one captor touched her and told her he wanted to marry her; she also described threats that he would keep her in Gaza when others were released.
04
Return
On November 26, 2023, Dafna and Ella were released alive in the first hostage exchange, after 51 days in captivity. They returned to their mother, Maayan. The release brought the sisters home while their father’s death remained part of their family’s grief.
05
Life since return
Dafna has spoken publicly about what she experienced in Gaza. At a TEEN SPIRIT event on May 6, 2025, she described abuse by a captor while she was 15. In an earlier interview she recalled the companionship she shared with Liri Albag, including songs and conversations about family. Her father Noam’s death remained part of the family’s loss; the sisters returned to a family shaped by both reunion and bereavement.