01
Life before October 7
Yarden Roman-Gat worked as a physiotherapist with older people. She had loved rock climbing from an early age; during her captivity, fellow climbers organized a rally for her. Yarden and her husband Alon had lived in Kibbutz Be’eri with their daughter Geffen, but moved away a month before October 7 because of the pressure of missile attacks. They returned from a trip to South Africa on October 6 and visited Alon’s parents in Be’eri for the holiday. Their three-year-old daughter was with them when the attack began.
02
Abduction
On October 7, Hamas attackers entered the Be’eri home and took Yarden, Alon, and Geffen toward Gaza. A tank stopped the car near a military post. When the captors got out to hide among trees, Yarden and Alon jumped from opposite sides and ran. She was carrying Geffen, about 12 kilograms, but passed the child to Alon because he was the faster runner and she believed that gave their daughter the best chance. Alon hid with Geffen in a ditch while bullets passed nearby. Yarden ran until exhaustion; when she fell, attackers dragged her back toward the car.
03
Captivity
Yarden told 60 Minutes that she feared sexual violence when her clothes began to come off as captors dragged her along the ground. She said they did not rape her; their goal was to get her into Gaza. During the drive, she was exposed to crowds who shouted and celebrated. She described being displayed as a trophy rather than treated as a person. In Gaza she was kept in a house, never underground, and guarded by men at all times. She was given a hijab and said the fabric felt like her only protection, although she was watched constantly. Yarden tried to make the guards care about her as a person. She believed this may have helped her survive, while recognizing that they guarded her as a trophy.
04
Return
Yarden was released on November 29, 2023, after 54 days in captivity. Her family watched her departure from Gaza on television. Around two in the morning, Alon woke Geffen to tell her that they had found her mother and that she was coming back. At the hospital, Yarden embraced her husband and daughter. It was her first reunion with Geffen since handing the child to Alon during their escape attempt.
05
After return
In her December 2023 interview with 60 Minutes, Yarden recalled the uncertainty she had lived with in Gaza. About three weeks into captivity she overheard Alon’s cousin on a radio mentioning that she and her sister-in-law Carmel were being held. Because he did not mention Alon or Geffen, she could begin to believe they had survived. After her release, Yarden and Alon spoke publicly about their family’s experience and appealed for Carmel, who was still captive at the time of that broadcast. Their relatives had organized a campaign and travelled to Washington seeking help.