October 7 · Personal story
Ella Elyakim
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Nahal Oz, at her father’s home
Current outcome
Released alive · November 26, 2023
Released alive with her older sister Dafna during the first hostage exchange, after 51 days in captivity.
01
Before October 7
Ella was eight years old and lived with her mother, Maayan. On October 7, 2023, she was visiting her father, Noam Elyakim, at Kibbutz Nahal Oz with her older sister, Dafna. The family was at a home shared by their father’s partner, Dikla Arava, and her son Tomer.
02
October 7
Armed attackers abducted Ella and Dafna from their father’s home during the October 7 attack on Nahal Oz. Footage later showed the two sisters in captivity. Their mother, Maayan, learned that they had been taken and spoke publicly while seeking news of them. Their father Noam, his partner Dikla and her seventeen-year-old son Tomer were killed; their bodies were later found near the Gaza border.
03
Captivity
Ella remained in Gaza with Dafna for 51 days. Their mother saw photographs of the sisters sitting on mattresses in clothes that were not their own; two fingers on Ella’s hand appeared bandaged. Maayan publicly described waiting without knowing whether her daughters were safe. Dafna later said having her younger sister beside her helped her endure captivity. She recalled that Liri Albag tried to encourage them and that they sang and talked about family while waiting to return.
04
Return
On November 26, 2023, Ella and Dafna were released alive in the first hostage exchange, after 51 days in captivity. They returned to their mother, Maayan. The return reunited the sisters with her while their father’s death remained part of the family’s loss.
05
Life since return
After the sisters returned, their family asked for footage of Ella from captivity to be made public. The recording, discovered by Israeli forces, had been filmed a few days after the abduction. In it, Ella gives her name, identifies herself as Noam’s daughter and asks to be freed. Dafna later spoke publicly about the strength she found in having Ella with her. Their mother had waited for news of both daughters; the girls came home together, carrying the loss of their father.