October 7 · Personal story
Nurit Cooper
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Nir Oz
Current outcome
Released alive · October 23, 2023
Nurit Cooper was released alive on October 23, 2023; her husband Amiram remained captive.
01
Life before
Nurit Cooper arrived in Kibbutz Nir Oz at 18 with the Tzabar youth group, during the community’s early years. Before meeting Amiram, she had heard about a young man who wrote songs and whistled melodies. She loved his songs; later they met, fell in love and built a family together. Nurit worked for many years in the kibbutz’s children’s houses and later at the Nirlat factory. Their life in Nir Oz grew around their children, grandchildren and shared home.
02
Abduction
On October 7, 2023, attackers fired at the front door of Nurit and Amiram’s home in Nir Oz and forcibly took them out. Both were abducted to Gaza. Their son Rotem later described the abduction as extremely violent and said Nurit suffered a fracture in her left shoulder.
03
Captivity
Nurit and Amiram were held together underground with five other members of their kibbutz, according to their son Rotem. They could not tell whether it was day or night. At Amiram’s funeral, Nurit recalled sharing the same mattress and the little food they received, while hoping they would both return home alive. They remained together until her release; Amiram stayed in Gaza.
04
Return
Nurit was released alive with Yocheved Lifshitz on October 23, 2023, after 17 days in captivity. By October 31, she was staying at her daughter Ravit’s home and spending time with family and grandchildren. Rotem said she was regaining strength but rarely shared details of her experiences. Learning who had been killed and who remained captive was another painful part of returning. She continued to worry about Amiram and asked that every hostage be brought home alive.
05
After the return
At Amiram’s funeral on November 2, 2025, Nurit returned to the story of their life together: the songs that first drew her to him, their family and years in Nir Oz. She said it felt strange to write about him in the past tense. Remembering their closeness even in the tunnels, she spoke of the loneliness of life without him. Her eulogy marked the loss that remained after his body was returned to Israel.