A love story that survived October 7: Former hostage Eliya Cohen and Ziv Aboud are married | Watch
A year and a half after Eliya Cohen returned from 505 days in Hamas captivity, the couple wed before 1,000 guests, closing a chapter marked by survival, loss and an enduring love
Former hostages Eliya Cohen and Ziv Aboud, who survived the October 7 terror attack on Israel together, were married on Wednesday evening in front of 1,000 guests at Ronit Farm. The couple, who had been in a relationship for ten years, were accompanied by Israeli singer Amir Benayoun, who performed his song "Nitzachta Iti Hakol" — "You Won Everything With Me" — which held special significance for them.
Cohen was abducted to Gaza from a Hamas "shelter of death," while Aboud survived the attack by hiding. Aboud was finally released from Hamas captivity in February 2025, after 505 days in captivity. In February 2024, Aboud revealed how they first met, saying they were both part of Israel's trance music community and had known each other through various online forums. Aboud had contacted Cohen, who then invited Aboud to attend his army beret march ceremony.
When the couple arrived at the Nova music festival on October 7, they took shelter in a roadside shelter on Route 232. Tragically, Amit Ben Avida, Karin Schwarzman and 16 other festivalgoers were killed in the attack. Ziv was one of seven survivors, while Eliya was abducted alongside Or Levy, Alon Ohel and Hersh Goldberg-Polin. After his release, Eliya returned to the shelter and spoke about the bravery of Aner Shapira, who threw himself in front of grenades thrown by the terrorists into the shelter.
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