October 7 · Personal story
Fernando Simon Marman
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, during a family visit
Current outcome
Rescued alive · February 12, 2024
Rescued from Rafah in Operation Golden Hand, a joint IDF, ISA, and Israel Police operation.
01
Life before October 7
Marman was born in Argentina and immigrated to Israel with his siblings. He lived in Kfar Saba. The Times of Israel described him as a handyman who often helped Nir Yitzhak residents repair whatever needed fixing. During the holiday weekend of October 7, he was visiting his sister Clara and her partner, Louis Har, at the kibbutz with his sister Gabriela and niece Mia.
02
October 7
The family sheltered together as sirens sounded. Attackers entered the house around 11:03 and forced the family out around 11:15. KAN’s reconstruction records that two shots missed Fernando while the family huddled in the safe room. At 11:22, a security camera recorded the family being taken toward Gaza.
03
Captivity
Fernando was held with Louis, Clara, Gabriela and Mia. Clara later recalled that their captors first promised to release the family together. When the November deal covered women and children, she and Gabriela did not want to leave the men behind. Fernando and Louis insisted that they go. The three women were released on November 28, 2023, but the men’s captivity continued. Louis said that food dwindled and he sometimes shared one pita with Fernando.
04
Return
In the early hours of February 12, 2024, a joint IDF, ISA and Israel Police operation rescued Fernando and Louis from Rafah after 129 days in captivity. Louis recalled an explosion and gunfire in their room. When he crawled toward the stairs, Fernando called him back; a rescuer then told him they had come to take them home. The mission was Operation Golden Hand. Both men were flown to Sheba Tel Hashomer for medical examination and reunited with their family.
05
After the rescue
On the day of the rescue, relatives said Fernando and Louis were very weak and had lost considerable weight. They had eaten mostly pita and white cheese and prepared food for the family holding them. Fernando’s niece, Gefen Sigal Ilan, said they returned pale and thin and were slowly absorbing what they had endured. She described both men as lovers of good food and looked forward to them enjoying it again. The family was already talking about a barbecue together.