October 7 · Personal story
Ruti Munder
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Nir Oz
Current outcome
Released alive · November 24, 2023
Released from Gaza with her daughter and grandson after 49 days in captivity.
01
A life woven into Nir Oz
Ruti Bendetz joined the Tzabar group at Nir Oz, following her older sister Naomi, who had joined the kibbutz’s founding group. From its early years, Ruti valued the close community. She worked as youth coordinator, managed the general store and dining room, cared for children in the children’s house, cut hair, taught sewing at the Ma’ale HaBesor regional school, and assigned Shabbat work shifts. She kept active with walks in nature, public lectures, and books. Ruti and Avraham married in 1966 and raised Keren and Roee in the kibbutz.
02
A family visit interrupted
On October 7, Keren and Ohad were visiting Ruti and Avraham in Nir Oz for the holiday. At 9:58 a.m., Ruti’s sister Naomi called to ask what was happening. Ruti whispered, “I can’t talk.” By 11 a.m., relatives knew that the phones of Ruti, Keren, and Avraham had been located in Gaza. Ruti was taken without knowing what had happened to Avraham, her son Roee, or the kibbutz. Avraham held the safe-room door as the attack reached their home; Ruti and the others were taken to Gaza.
03
Her own account of captivity
Ruti said she was driven into Gaza with her family under a blanket that kept them from seeing the armed men around them. She remained with Keren and Ohad for all 49 days. In her Channel 13 interview, she recalled that at first they ate chicken and rice, canned food, and cheese, and drank tea morning and evening. Later, food became scarce. They slept on plastic chairs, and Ruti covered herself with a sheet; the room felt “suffocating.” She managed to crack a window, though the captives were prevented from opening the blinds. While listening to a radio used by their captors, she learned that Roee had been killed in Nir Oz. She continued to hope she would be released.
04
Return on November 24
Ruti was released on November 24, 2023, with Keren and Ohad after 49 days in captivity. The three left Gaza together under the ceasefire deal. Avraham was not with them. In footage of the family’s reunion, Ruti said she already knew from the radio in Gaza that Roee had been killed. Keren asked about her father and learned that he was alive and still held in Gaza.
05
A home and family changed
Avraham died in captivity, and his body was recovered from Gaza on August 20, 2024. Roee had been killed on October 7, leaving Ruti grieving both her husband and son. By June 2026, Ruti was living with the relocated Nir Oz community in Karme Gat and still hoped to return safely to Nir Oz.