Shlomi Ziv, a 41-year-old from the small community of Elkosh near the Lebanese border, was among the four hostages rescued on Saturday from Hamas captivity in Gaza during Operation Arnon, named after the late Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora who lost his life during the raid.
For eight long months, Shlomi's wife Miran, also 41, waited anxiously every night, hoping for the joyful call that finally came on Sunday around noon. In an interview with Ynet and its sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth daily, she shared their emotional first day together after the long separation.
"My Shlomi is happy and delighted to be home. He is still processing everything, as am I, and it will take time. But we are here together, and that’s what matters. We are surrounded and supported on all sides, and I am grateful for that," Miran said with excitement. "It will take more time before I know all that happened to him in captivity, and I know we have a long road ahead of us - but we will walk it together."
Miran is confident that her husband will recover from the ordeal. "Shlomi is strong, he is a hero. He is a one-of-a-kind man, and he will be fine. We will be fine," she added.
She recounted the moment she had dreamed of for eight months and a day - which finally came true: Shlomi was on his way to Israel. "On Saturday morning, I was having coffee with a friend. Even though I managed to get a few hours of sleep at night, I was glued to the phone, waiting for any call related to Shlomi. On the other hand, who would have believed it? Who imagined it?" she said.
Like many in Israel, Miran initially relied on rumors on social media. "I started getting messages on Telegram from friends and family members, and various rumors started spreading. I immediately called the officer who was accompanying us," she said. "It took some time until I finally received the best news in the world - my Shlomi is coming home."
"This is all I wanted, this is all I dreamed of, this is what we fought for during all those long and hard months. We are here together. That’s all that matters, and all the hostages returning to us. All the good is still ahead of us," she said.
In their first conversation, Shlomi asked to see Yanai and Aviv Eliyahu, his relatives who were with him at the party. While Yanai was rescued - and was in the car during the conversation - Yanai's brother, Aviv, was murdered by the terrorists. Shlomi, in tears, asked his wife Miran about Aviv. "What about Aviv?" he asked repeatedly, and Miran gently replied, "We will talk about Aviv." He then spoke with their father, Sinai Eliyahu.
In an unpublished interview that took place less than 48 hours before the complex rescue operation, Miran said that even though she had not received signs of life from him during his captivity, "We know that Shlomi is held captive, and the assumption is that he is alive. He was probably not kidnapped injured."
"There is no chance anything will happen to him," she said confidently. "This is Shlomi, and I believe in him. He has survival skills and manages everywhere. We are clinging to that. What is his condition in captivity? I wish I knew."
She explained how the reports about hostage deals published every evening in various media outlets in Israel and around the world affected her. "I admit, talks of a deal give me hope, although I never lost any to begin with," she said.
"Every Friday I write to Shlomi. I tell him everything so that when he returns, he will know what happened. I make sure the house is always clean, I take care of his spot outside, move the sofas, wash, water the flowers. Just as he left the house, that’s how I want it to be when he returns. Let him come back already." Less than two days after these words, Miran's wish came true. After eight months, Shlomi and Miran Ziv are together again.