October 7 · Personal story
Erez Kalderon
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Family home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel
Current outcome
Released alive · November 27, 2023
Released during the November ceasefire exchange with his sister Sahar; their father Ofer remained in captivity.
01
Life before October 7
Erez Kalderon grew up in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza border. In October 2023, he was 11 and about to turn 12. Cycling was a shared pleasure for him and his father, Ofer: a Ynet report on Erez’s birthday described both as keen cyclists and said Erez’s great love, like his father’s, was riding. Family members told the same report that the sport gave them a way to mark his birthday while he was held away from home. A 2024 N12 interview later showed Erez returning to the family house for the first time since the abduction. He remembered riding there and called the area beautiful, while also observing how close it was to the border.
02
October 7
On October 7, 2023, Erez was at the family home in Nir Oz with his father and older sister Sahar. His mother Hadas was in a different house in the kibbutz; his older brother Rotem was elsewhere in the community, and his eldest sister Gaya was in Tel Aviv. Erez later described hearing a captor reassure him that he would be home in two hours. The N12 account records his memory of being taken separately from his father and of hearing gunfire, without knowing what had happened to Sahar. He also described the person who took him as someone who looked ordinary, a civilian. Their family’s homes and paths through the kibbutz became separate during the attack, and Erez was taken into Gaza.
03
In captivity
Erez’s own account traced a succession of five places before he reached Nasser Hospital. He said he was alone for 16 days and, at first, thought one of the houses where he was held might become his new home. At the hospital he finally saw familiar faces: fellow hostages Eitan Yahalomi, Shani Goren, Yagil Yaakov, Keren Munder and Ohad Munder. He also remembered that they hid a radio there. Listening to it, he heard his mother speaking at Hostages Square in Israel; captors had also told him that Hadas was appearing on Al Jazeera. While he remained in captivity, October 26 brought his twelfth birthday. About 30 cyclists rode 12 laps in Tel Aviv, and his family marked the date with a cake and a message that they were waiting to ride with him again.
04
Return
Erez and Sahar were released on November 27, 2023, during the ceasefire exchange. Their father Ofer remained in Gaza. N12 later described the children as having returned after 52 days. Erez’s release ended his own captivity, while the family continued waiting for their father to return.
05
Life after return
In July 2024, Erez returned to the Nir Oz home with his mother and siblings for the N12 interview. He said he had always ridden in the area and remembered its beauty, but when asked if he missed it, answered no. In the same report, the family spoke about waiting for Ofer, who was still in Gaza. On February 1, 2025, Ofer returned after 484 days in captivity and met Erez and Sahar at Sheba Medical Center. Israel Hayom described the children greeting him with “It’s over, Dad. You’re with us now,” amid laughter and tears. That reunion brought the father back into the family life Erez had been separated from on October 7.