October 7 · Personal story
Maya Regev
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im.
Current outcome
Released alive · November 25, 2023
Released alive and returned to Israel on November 25, 2023, four days before her brother Itay.
01
Travel, family and plans
Maya Regev was 21 and lived in Herzliya. She had just returned from a three-week trip to Mexico with her mother, brother Itay and younger brother Guy. They landed the night before the festival. Maya and Itay had looked forward to Nova, and their parents described travel, friends and going out as familiar parts of their lives. Maya had completed military service as a combat-fitness instructor a few months earlier. She had bought a ticket for a South America trip before university and hoped to study something connected to medicine.
02
Shot while trying to get away
Maya went to Nova with Itay and Omer Shem Tov. After the sirens began, they ran for about an hour and a half before getting into Uri Danino’s car; he had turned back to help them. Maya said she was hit twice in the leg, while Itay was wounded in the thigh. She closed her eyes from pain and fear, then found the driver’s seat empty. She told Omer to take the wheel, but attackers reached the car and pulled all three out. That morning, she also left messages for her mother and spoke with her father, telling him they had been shot.
03
A damaged leg and notes to Itay
Maya’s leg was badly damaged. She said her foot was barely attached and she feared she would return without a leg. Five days passed before she was taken for surgery; before leaving, she asked Itay to tell their parents she loved them. She was held separately but tried to send notes to Itay and Omer, and sometimes asked to pass her food to them. She told her guard to think of her as his daughter, hoping to make him treat her with empathy. The surgery in captivity left her foot at an unnatural angle, requiring corrective treatment after her return.
04
Her return came first
Maya was released alive on November 25, 2023, and taken straight to Soroka Medical Center for treatment and surgery on her injured leg. She later continued her recovery at Sheba Medical Center. Itay remained in captivity until November 29, when he returned four days after her. Their friend Omer was still in Gaza at that time. In a March 2024 interview, Maya said the experience had brought her closer to her mother and brother. Her mother described asking permission before arranging visitors, to help restore the control captivity had taken from them.
05
Recovery became part of her story
After release, Maya underwent painful treatment to lengthen the damaged bone in her leg. In March 2024, her mother described the excitement of seeing her walk again with crutches. In a September 24, 2024 CNN interview, Maya spoke about the documentary Brother and Sister in Captivity. Seeing her parents’ anguish during the months of uncertainty was difficult, she said, but she was glad they were together again. In spring 2026, she spoke at FIDF events; on June 8, the organization published an interview about her recovery and plans for the future.