Avinatan Or prepares to release book about days in captivity
Former hostage Avinatan Or, who spent 738 days in Hamas captivity, has announced the release of his book "Through the Earth." He was kidnapped on October 7 along with Noa Argamani.
The book by hostage survivor Avinatan Or is set to be released in September. Today, Friday, Or published a video from the printing house where the book is being produced and revealed its title — "Through the Earth."
The book is expected to cover the period of captivity and the experiences he endured during the 738 days he was held by Hamas. It will be published by Kinneret Zmora in September.
In a post on his Instagram account, he wrote:
"If two years on the posters wasn't enough for you, now my face is also on the book."
From the Nova festival to captivity
Or was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, from the Nova party in Re'im along with his then-girlfriend, Noa Argamani. The footage of the kidnapping, in which the two are seen being forcibly separated as she reaches out to him, became one of the most recognizable images of the terrorist attack.
Argamani was rescued during Operation "Arnon" in June 2024, after 246 days. Or remained in captivity for over a year longer and was released only in October 2025 as part of a hostage deal. Throughout most of this period, he was held in near-total isolation, did not meet other hostages, and according to reports following his release, he lost a significant percentage of his body weight.
In the months since his release, Or has revealed details only in fragments, including a failed escape attempt after which his conditions were severely tightened. The upcoming book will be the first time the full story is presented in sequence, in his own words.
A new wave of memoirs
Or joins a number of hostage survivors who have chosen to document their experiences in writing. Among the books already published are "Kidnapped" by Eli Sharabi, "Mufawadat" by Elia Cohen, "Not Broken" by Bar Kuperstein, "Captive on a Mission" by Shoshan Haran, and "The Main Thing is to Wake Up to a New Morning" by Aviva Siegel.
Over the past year, this wave has become a genre in itself within the Israeli book market, with some titles becoming bestsellers even before reaching store shelves.
