Iair Horn, one of the hostages released from Gaza, returned after 498 days in captivity—but his heart remains behind, with his younger brother Eitan, who is still held hostage.
In an interview with Channel 12 News, Horn described his time in the tunnels as “an endless nightmare,” and voiced deep concern for his brother’s fate.
“Once, they bombed the place we were in, and we had to run,” he recalled. “Eitan isn’t athletic - I stopped and pulled him by the hand, by the arm. He weighs over 100 kilos. Now I’m not there to pull him.”
For weeks, the brothers were held apart. Only after 50 days were they reunited. Together with fellow hostages Sagui Dekel Chen, David Cunio, and Nimrod Cohen, they tried to preserve a sense of humanity.
“We were a family with a sense of humor - maybe a dumb one - but it kept us going,” he said. “We couldn’t even laugh, because of the lack of oxygen.”
He will never forget the moment they were separated again. “They told us two were being released, but not who. We looked into each other’s eyes. When they said it was me and Sagui - we understood. We didn’t speak. We just stayed silent.”
In a harrowing video released by Hamas several months ago, Eitan is seen sobbing on his brother’s shoulder, saying, “It’s not right to separate families.”
Iair worries constantly for his brother, who suffers from a serious chronic skin condition and is being held without treatment or medication.
“The best treatment is to bring him home,” he emphasized. “Only we know how to care for him.”
Addressing the proposed deal that would secure the release of only ten hostages, he said, “This nightmare will stay with me forever. But it’s already gone on too long - they need to get everyone out. All fifty. End this already.”
“I’m living in a nightmare. The whole country is. Maybe we can begin to heal - once this is finally over.”