‘A True Miracle’: Former Hamas Hostage and Nova Music Festival Survivor Marry After October 7 Nightmare

Nearly three years after the horrors of Oct. 7 tore them apart, former Israeli hostage Eliya Cohen and Nova music festival survivor Ziv Aboud have walked beneath the chuppah together, turning a story of unimaginable loss into one of survival, restoration and hope.

According to All Israel News and Israel’s KAN 11, Cohen and Aboud were married surrounded by family, friends, former hostages and fellow survivors who have walked alongside them through the aftermath of Oct. 7.

Their wedding carried a weight few celebrations ever could.

Cohen and Aboud were together at the Nova music festival when Hamas terrorists launched their deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. They fled to a roadside bomb shelter as terrorists descended on the area.

What happened next changed everything.

Cohen was kidnapped and taken hostage into Gaza. Aboud survived, but witnessed horrific loss around her. Loved ones and friends were murdered, leaving the couple separated by captivity and surrounded by grief.

Yet their story did not end inside that shelter.

Before seeing his bride on their wedding day, Cohen recorded an emotional message reflecting on everything they had endured and the almost unbelievable reality of finally getting married.

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“I have to tell you that all day I’ve had butterflies in my stomach,” Cohen said, according to a translation of the KAN 11 report. He said he had spent the week crying from emotion and thinking about the “crazy miracle” of their story.

“It doesn’t register in my head that we separated in that nightmare room and met again together on Feb. 22,” Cohen said. “And we’re getting married today after this whole crazy journey we went through together.”

Even the couple’s ketubah, the traditional Jewish marriage contract, carried the memory of Oct. 7.

Former Israeli Chief Rabbi David Lau officiated the ceremony, while Israeli singer Amir Benayoun performed as Cohen and Aboud entered the chuppah.

After terror, death, captivity, separation and uncertainty, normalcy itself had become something worth praying for.

Cohen and Aboud’s wedding cannot erase what happened on Oct. 7 or bring back those they lost. But their decision to build a life together stands as a striking declaration that terror did not get the final word.

The couple who once left each other amid a nightmare stood together again beneath the chuppah.

And this time, they walked away as husband and wife.

Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.