Less than a week ago, Israel and the world were stunned by the heroic IDF operation leading to the rescue of the four hostages Andrey Kozlov, 27, Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, and Shlomi Ziv, 40 held at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas terror group.
In a candid interview with Israel Hayom, Kozlov's parents – Michael and Yevgenia – recalled the emotional reunion with their son, who was abducted at the Nova music festival, where he worked as a security guard, and spoke about his lengthy ordeal in captivity, and the dramatic moment he realized rescue was underway.
Q: What was it like seeing Andrey for the first time upon his rescue?
Yevgenia: "Our initial conversation with Andrey was via video as we had not yet returned to Israel. Alongside immense joy, difficult to articulate, we felt trepidation about what, or rather who, we would encounter.
"We were convinced that after eight months in captivity, subjected to unimaginable horrors and trauma, we would fail to recognize him. I was terribly apprehensive about the state my son would be in after that prolonged period. Before he appeared on screen, I covered my mouth in sheer fear, blankly staring at the monitor."
"Then, abruptly, I saw him – Andrey. His eyes were wide open as he exclaimed, 'Mom, I survived twice. Mom, I'm fine, everything's okay, don't worry.' He likely feared our distress, aiming firstly to reassure us," she recounted with a smile.
"He continued, 'Mom, I knew I'd return, and now all will be well. Daily I thought of you, conversed with you in my mind, confident I'd rejoin you. Mom, don't worry, just don't.' Though attempting to comfort me, I witnessed the gamut of emotions overwhelming him at that moment, the entire ordeal etched on his face. It was profoundly moving.
"I strived to smile and remain calm for his benefit, to ease his burden. And indeed, after a few minutes, I began to perceive my son as he once was, he even started cracking jokes! His sole wish was to continue conversing with us, which we reciprocated."
Q: Did he tell you about his time in captivity?
Michael: "To recount his entire eight-month experience would require far more than a single interview. He recounted his ordeal at length, yet seemingly striving not to overwhelm us excessively, he endeavored to keep matters light with humor and optimism, even when describing terrifying, unimaginable adversity.
"For instance, he revealed that for the initial two months, his captors restrained him with hands tied behind his back, depicting how he contorted himself merely to eat. With mordant humor, he told us how fortunate he was to be so flexible, as it enabled him to eat with his hands rather than like an animal.
"He laughed at his luck when the terrorists eventually tied his hands in the front, and that his conditions were relatively decent as they occasionally permitted bathroom use, unlike other hostages, who were provided only with buckets in their rooms. These accounts are utterly deranged, yet he strove to recount them lightheartedly to ease our burden."
Yevgenia added, "He described the psychological torment his captors inflicted on him and fellow hostages. Comments like 'your girlfriend has surely moved on, your parents know nothing of you, and Israel has forgotten you they won't save you. The army actually wants you dead.
"Andrey revealed this was among the terrorists' key aims – constantly attempting to convince them Israel did not truly care, that no rescue was coming, that contrarily, the nation preferred them dead to resolve this hostages issue.'"
"Yet throughout, Andrey and his fellow hostages strove to bolster and assist one another. They conversed constantly, preventing one another from descending into despair's depths. Initially, it was immensely challenging for him as his Hebrew and English were poor, and the terrorists prohibited Hebrew.
"On one hand, I heard my son recount these events like a story, with optimism and humor, yet internally I grasped the enormity of the atrocity, tragedy, and unimaginable ordeals he endured over those long months, leaving indelible scars on him and us."
"As a mother, hearing your son say 'there are things I can never tell you' is heart-shattering, truly comprehending this entire event's profound gravity."
Q: What was the moment the IDF arrived to rescue Andrey like?
Michael: "Truthfully, even before he shared the details with us, we gathered in his hospital room to view the footage captured by the soldiers' bodycams. Until then, he had only seen videos uploaded by Gazan bloggers from a completely divergent perspective."
"The moment he witnessed the published footage, his emotions overwhelmed him uncontrollably. Covering his mouth, he exclaimed 'Yes, yes, that's me. That's really how it was, what I endured.' It was as if he relived it, truly processing his ordeal."
Yevgenia said, "Andrey revealed that realizing rescue was imminent, recognizing the fighters who came to extract him, he was utterly flooded with relief and calm. He said his sole desire was to embrace the rescuers, unwilling to relinquish that grasp. To him, they appeared not merely heroes, but truly superhuman.
"He still faces a lengthy road ahead, yet his optimism and fortitude fill us with immense pride. Not only did he avoid breaking under captivity despite the terrorists' efforts, he emerged stronger and more resilient."
