Miran said that during his time in Gaza, he imagined spending time with his daughters. He reunited with his wife Lishay and daughters Roni and Alma after he was released.
“Hello everyone. I’m back in Israel, back to life, and I’ve discovered that everyone knows me,” freed hostage Omri Miran said in the first public statement made by him since his release from Gaza earlier this month.
“While I may not know each and every one of you, I’ve seen you. I caught small glimpses of the struggle you led for me and for the other hostages,” he added. “I saw you standing week after week in the square, at intersections, all over the country.
“Thank you so much. I have no words to describe how much I love and appreciate you for not giving up on us.”
Miran said that during his time in Gaza, he imagined spending time with his daughters. He reunited with his wife Lishay and daughters Roni and Alma after he was released.
He also thanked Israeli forces for their efforts in the Gaza war.
Omri Miran. (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)
“I intend to do everything in my power, everything I can, to complete the mission until the last hostage is returned,” he added in his statement. “Simply from my experience, no family should continue living in such uncertainty.”
Statements shared by Miran’s family
While Friday marked Miran’s first statements directly from him, his family shared details to Israel Hayom on his captivity shortly after his release.
“At first, there were five hostages in a cage just 1.8 meters by 1.6 meters. You couldn’t stand – you had to crouch,” Miran’s brother, Boaz, said. His brother noted from Omri that “sometimes a terrorist would just go out and leave his gun beside him. He considered trying to escape, but he knew there was nowhere to run.”
Danny, Omri’s father, told N12 that his son’s treatment in captivity was marginally better than that of other hostages, despite the inhumane conditions.
“He knew how to keep himself busy. He was well-fed and never starved. He cooked for himself and even for the terrorists. He even decided which spices they should bring. Of course, there were worse days, like when they locked him in a cage.”
Miran lived on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, working as a shiatsu therapist and a gardener.
Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.