Idan Shtivi arrived at the Nova party in southern Israel at 6 a.m. on October 7 to photograph the event. An hour later, he called his girlfriend in Tel Aviv to tell her about the massive rocket fire from Gaza. He said he would now leave the premises and come to her home. But the then 28-year-old never arrived.
As witnesses later reported, Shtivi drove away in his car with two friends, but was stopped by Hamas terrorists on the road to the north. He managed to escape them, turned around and drove south. But at one point he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The car was found at the scene of the accident full of bullet holes and blood. The bodies of his friends were identified. Shtivi was taken to Gaza as a hostage, security forces said.
»A deal that brings everyone back«
The environmental science student lives in Tel Aviv and was about to move into a new apartment with his girlfriend and dog. Shtivi is a nature lover, a camping and music fan, and is described by his family as a resourceful person who can survive even in extreme conditions. He planned to work in the energy sector to combat climate change and wanted to join a volunteer program in Africa.
Hila and Omri Shtivi, Idan’s siblings, apologized on his 29th birthday in early June for not allowing him to be free on his special day. Life, they said, was like a never-ending nightmare.
Freeing the hostages is a moral issue, stresses Omri Shtivi. “They are waiting to return home.” But military operations will not bring everyone back; only an agreement can do that, he makes clear. “A deal that brings everyone back without endangering soldiers.”
