October 7 · Personal story
Yahel Shoham
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Be’eri, where her family was visiting her maternal grandparents for Sukkot.
Current outcome
Released alive · November 25, 2023
Released with her mother Adi, brother Naveh and grandmother Shoshan.
01
Life before October 7
Yahel was three and lived in Ma’ale Tzvia with her parents Adi and Tal and her older brother Naveh. The family travelled to Be’eri for Sukkot to visit Adi’s parents, Shoshan and Avshal. Her aunt Shaked called Yahel “creative and full of life.” The family was staying together when the attack began.
02
Abduction
As Adi was led through Be’eri, she saw Yahel about 20 meters ahead, held by a captor. The three-year-old saw her mother and reached out. Adi ran to her; the captor pulled Yahel back, and the two struggled over her repeatedly before Adi got her child back. Adi then saw Naveh about 10 meters away, being led by another captor. He could not see her, his back was turned, and Adi said he looked terrified. She ran to him and pulled him toward her too.
03
Captivity
Yahel was held for 50 days with Adi, Naveh and her grandmother Shoshan; Tal was held separately. Her family was ordered to whisper. Yahel absorbed the rule quickly: she cried without sound, and Adi and Shoshan watched her eyes to see when she needed comfort.
04
Return
Yahel returned on November 25, 2023, with Adi, Naveh and Shoshan after 50 days. Tal remained in Gaza and came home on February 22, 2025 after 505 days. When he first offered Yahel a hug, she stepped toward him slowly; he remarked on how much she had grown.
05
Aftermath
After her return, while Tal was still captive, Yahel continued whispering for three weeks before her ordinary voice returned. During that separation, she recorded messages for him and sent letters decorated with flowers, sun and blue skies. In one drawing, she showed a person with arms wide open and explained that “Daddy wants a hug but no one is coming to him.” She also attended a Yehudit Ravitz concert with Adi and Naveh; Yahel said the singer was friends with them and would need to become Tal’s friend when he came home. She kept writing and recording for Tal during the long separation. She turned five while Tal was still in captivity.