October 7 · Personal story
Oria Brodutch
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Family home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Israel
Current outcome
Released alive · November 26, 2023
Released from captivity with mother Hagar and siblings Ofri and Yuval; reunited with father Avichai at Schneider Children’s Medical Center.
01
Before October 7
At four and a half, Oria was described as cheerful and mischievous. He liked football and playing Xbox with his older brother Yuval, and played with tractors in the garden. The family profile also called him stubborn: at home, it said, his word could be both the first and the last.
02
October 7
On 7 October 2023, Oria, his mother Hagar and siblings Ofri and Yuval were abducted from their home in Kfar Aza. Their father Avichai had gone to defend the community. He returned wounded and found his family gone; he learned a day later that they had been taken to Gaza.
03
In captivity
Oria, Hagar, Ofri and Yuval were held in Gaza for 51 days. Hagar kept the children occupied with memories of trips to Australia, Thailand and elsewhere. Avichai said the family also talked about food after periods when they had received no more than a pita bread. Hagar later said she had not known whether Avichai was alive. She worried about whether the family would ever be released, while the children generally slept despite the bombing. During the captivity, Avichai stood for days outside the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv, pressing for the hostages’ return. At one point, he sat beside a sign: “My Family Is in Gaza.”
04
Return
At about one in the morning on 26 November 2023, Avichai received a call saying his family was coming home. He drove back to Kfar Aza and collected things Hagar and the children especially liked: soft toys and pillows, along with Hagar’s handbag. He packed the car and drove to Schneider Children’s Medical Center, where the family reunited.
05
After return
By August 2025, the family was living in Shefayim, where evacuees from Kfar Aza had been hosted. Avichai said Oria was attending kindergarten and described the children as happy. The family marked the return as a day to celebrate together each year.