October 7 · Personal story
Yuval Engel
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Nir Oz
Current outcome
Released alive · November 27, 2023
Released with her mother Karina and sister Mika after 52 days in captivity.
01
Life before October 7
Yuval was 11 and lived in Nir Oz with her parents, Karina and Ronen, and older sister Mika. Her older brother Tom lived in a separate apartment in the kibbutz; two family dogs, Mafi and Mencha, were part of the household. Karina managed accounts, Ronen was a photographer and MDA volunteer, and the family had joined the kibbutz in 2010. In October 2023, Karina’s sister said the family was feeling hopeful after Karina recovered from two difficult years of cancer treatment and her hair began to grow back.
02
Abduction
On October 7, Tom was away from home because he was serving in the army; Yuval, Mika, Karina and Ronen were home with the dogs. Ronen, an MDA volunteer, was armed and waiting for instructions when attackers broke in. He fought and was killed; his remains were taken captive. Karina held the safe-room door until another group entered, beat her and abducted her. A third wave took Mika and Yuval. Their car crashed a short distance away, leaving both girls injured.
03
Captivity
The crash broke Mika’s foot and badly injured Yuval’s: she lost part of the middle toe on her foot, injured the top of her foot and fractured every toe. Mika saw how much blood Yuval was losing and insisted that their captors take them to hospital. They spent six hours in tunnels, then 23 days in a Khan Younis hospital before Karina joined them. For 23 days, Karina had been told her daughters were in Tel Aviv and had not been abducted. After she found them, the family shared a small hospital room with other hostages; there was only a water tap and a marble counter. The children wanted to play, talk and laugh, but had to remain silent.
04
Return
On November 27, after 52 days, Yuval returned with Karina and Mika. They were flown by helicopter to Ichilov Hospital, where doctors examined Yuval and stabilized her with an IV. She underwent emergency foot surgery the next day, and met Tom and family at the hospital. During the transfer, Mika used a soldier’s phone to call Tom and tell him that she, Yuval and Karina were in Israeli hands.
05
Aftermath
Yuval and Mika spent two months in hospital after release. In April 2025, Karina said Yuval was still receiving medical and psychological care and had returned to school in a new grade at a different school in another city. The Nir Oz community moved together to Karmei Gat, where the family continued to live. Ronen’s death had been announced in December 2023. His remains were returned on October 18, 2025; after forensic identification, the family was notified on October 19.