Bar Kupershtein Returns Home After 738 Days in Gaza Captivity, Citing Torture Linked to Israeli Minister

Bar Kupershtein, 23, has returned home to Holon, Israel, after enduring 738 days as a hostage in Gaza. His release marks the end of a harrowing two-year ordeal that began with his abduction from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Kupershtein was greeted by cheering residents and a tearful reunion with his family, including his father, Tal Kupershtein, who relearned to walk and speak after a stroke to embrace his son.

Upon his return, Kupershtein revealed that Hamas subjected him and other captives to torture, which he explicitly linked to actions taken by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. He stated that Hamas guards beat them following comments by Ben-Gvir regarding the tightening of conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The freed hostage also shared that he and others learned Arabic during their captivity by watching Al Jazeera.

During his time in captivity, his mother, Julie Kupershtein, initiated a global "Tefillin for Every Hostage" campaign, inspiring Jewish men worldwide to don tefillin in merit of the hostages' safe return. Bar Kupershtein, who was not religious before his abduction, spoke of his strengthened faith and participated in a public tefillin-laying event, praying for the 11 remaining hostages still held in Gaza. He described the moment as a "dream come true," having prayed for two years to perform the ritual.

Kupershtein was among a group of 13 living hostages released, following extensive negotiations with Hamas. His return highlights the ongoing emotional and political pressure on Israel to secure the safe return of all captives. The broader context of the conflict includes the initial Hamas-led attack that killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, and Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza.