Forced to Tell Yarden Bibas His Family Was Killed – The Story of Nili Margalit’s Captivity

Nili Margalit, 41 years old, was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. She was released as part of a hostage deal after 55 days in Hamas captivity, but her joy was mixed with sorrow. Nili, who served as a mediator between the hostages and the Hamas kidnappers, was forced to tell Yarden Bibas that his family had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. In an interview with 12N on the podcast 'One a Day,' she recounted the moments of the kidnapping, life in captivity, and the struggle to recover after the trauma.

Nili Margalit worked as a nurse at Soroka Hospital. She lived in the kibbutz where she grew up, Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with her dog *Netchi*. On the morning of the massacre, Nili was abducted from the safe room in her house straight to Khan Yunis, while her father was murdered and his body taken to Gaza. Upon arrival, the Hamas captives put her in a vehicle together with Tami Metzger and took them down into the tunnels. 'We arrived in a large room and I saw many people from Nir Oz there; it was surreal. I knew everyone there,' she said.

The captors divided the hostages into groups. Nili was part of a group of elder people. As a nurse, she decided to take on the role of caretaker for them. She asked the captors for medicines and ensured they were taking them. She says taking care of the others helped her survive captivity because her mind was constantly occupied with thoughts about the other hostages, the medicines, and what would happen if they ran out.

On the 55th day of her captivity, Nili was released as part of a deal. At that joyous moment, the captors forced her to tell Yarden Bibas, who was with her in captivity, that his wife Shiri and two children, Ariel and Kfir, were killed in Israeli airstrikes. This occurred while the captors filmed him reacting to the terrible news. Instead of comforting him, the captors forcibly removed Nili from the room. 'I couldn't try to comfort him, to tell him to have faith they're okay and to stay strong.'

Returning home was not easy for her. She began to learn about all the friends who were murdered and kidnapped, her house burned down, and that her father was no longer alive, and his body was taken. Basically, upon her return, she sat shiva for him. Nili is trying to adjust to her new life, but this chapter of her life is still not over. 'On the most basic level, I can't move on because I don't even know whom I should be mourning, who is still here, and who is not.' However, Nili says her rehabilitation process is full of ups and downs, but she 'finds things that fill me. It helps.'