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Mozes will receive the award for his exceptional personal courage, leadership, and Zionism after pledging to rebuild Kibbutz Nir Oz following his release from terrorist captivity in January.<\/p>\n
Freed Gaza hostage Gadi Mozes<\/a> will receive the ‘Ben-Gurion Award’ for exemplary individuals from Ben-Gurion University<\/a> of the Negev President Prof. Daniel Haimovitz in November, the university announced earlier this week.<\/p>\n The award committee announced that Mozes was selected to receive the award, named after the first prime minister of Israel, for his \u201cmany years of contribution to the building and prosperity of the Negev, for his leadership in the reconstruction of Kibbutz Nir Oz<\/a>, his personal courage, and for his role model of steadfastness, Zionism, and love of country.\u201d<\/p>\n Mozes was held for 482 days by terrorists in the Gaza Strip after being kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas during the October 7 massacre. Much of the kibbutz was burned and destroyed as Hamas terrorists tore their way through the small farming community.<\/p>\n He was released, aged 80, in January 2025 and was the oldest living hostage to have survived terrorist captivity<\/a>. Upon his release, Mozes pledged to return to his home and his life\u2019s work, vowing to help rebuild the kibbutz he resided in for nearly 60 years.<\/p>\n The university’s statement described Mozes\u2019s history in the region, detailing his career as an agronomist in the agriculture industry, throughout which he \u201cworked in third world countries, teaching local farmers about irrigation and growing methods.\u201d<\/p>\nMozes’s lifelong commitment to Kibbutz Nir Oz<\/h3>\n