October 7 · Personal story
Shiri Weiss
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
The Weiss family home in Kibbutz Be’eri.
Current outcome
Released alive · November 25, 2023
Released November 25, 2023 with daughter Noga after 50 days; her husband Ilan’s body was returned to Israel August 28, 2025.
01
A life rooted in Be’eri
Shiri Weiss was born and raised in Kibbutz Be’eri. She and her husband Ilan raised three daughters there: Maayan, Meytal and Noga. Sky News identified her work as accountant for an agricultural association, while friends described Shiri as family-oriented and said she liked to plan family trips. Her daughter Noga later described how the sisters lived in separate student apartments in the kibbutz’s youth housing area, while Noga was at her parents’ home on October 7.
02
The morning at home
On the morning of October 7, Shiri, Ilan and Noga were at the family home in Be’eri. Ilan left to join the kibbutz emergency response team; Noga later recalled that her mother told her to hide under the bed in the safe room as attackers broke into the house. Noga heard gunshots after Shiri was taken and believed her mother had been killed. Noga later escaped through a window and was also captured, but Shiri was already being taken away when the two were separated.
03
Mother and daughter meet again in Gaza
Noga’s April 2024 interview recounts that she thought she had lost her mother, then encountered her again after several days in captivity. Noga said she did not immediately recognize Shiri when she entered the room, and remembered the shock of discovering she was alive. Noga also described a captor pressing her to marry him and have his children; her sister Meytal told the interviewer that Shiri first refused politely and then shouted when he would not accept the answer. When Shiri and Noga saw each other again, each had believed the other was gone.
04
Released together
Shiri and Noga were released on November 25, 2023, after 50 days in captivity. CBS reported the release through the account of their cousin Oren Rubenstein, who had traveled to Israel and waited for family news. The Times of Israel later published Noga’s recollection of the day and the 50 days she spent in Gaza. Their release brought Noga home with Shiri. Ilan’s fate was still unresolved at that point.
05
Ilan’s fate, confirmed over time
Shiri and her daughters learned in January 2024 that Ilan had been killed on October 7 and taken to Gaza after death. His body was returned to Israel on August 28, 2025. On August 29, Noga learned of the recovery while travelling.