The impressive achievement of hostage survivor Elia Cohen: "Excited to share with you"
Hostage survivor Elia Cohen has marked a significant milestone: the release of the 5th language edition of his book, 'Mufawadat' (Negotiations), which details his 505 days in Hamas captivity. Cohen, who is set to marry his fiancée Ziv Avud in August, wrote the book immediately upon his return to process his experience and share his truth.
Hostage survivor Elia Cohen shared an impressive achievement on Wednesday: "I am excited to tell you that the 5th language version of my book is now out. Thank you for the privilege of spreading my testimony around the world, and thank you for your willingness to listen and read." He immediately shared a link to purchase the Russian edition. In his book, 'Mufawadat' (Negotiations), he recounts the 505 days he spent in the hell of the Hamas terrorist organization.
In a post on his Instagram account, Cohen explained what led him to write the book immediately upon his return from captivity:
"From the first moment I arrived at the hospital, the first thing I asked Ziv for was her phone to start writing. Not just what I went through, but who I am. Elia, the person behind all the pain."
He detailed the writing process with great sensitivity: "For half a year, I sat day and night, chapter after chapter, with tears, sweat, and pieces of my soul. There were moments I broke, memories I had suppressed, and feelings I was sure were gone. But I chose to cope. Because this is my truth, and I decided not to run away from it, but to live with it and share it with you."
After selling over 40,000 copies, his book received the "Platinum Book" award from the Book Publishers Association in Israel several months ago. In a poignant Instagram post, he wrote: "I have tears in my eyes. I was chosen; G-d chooses each of us to go through what we must, and perhaps I needed to pass on the lessons I learned deep in that tunnel."
Cohen emphasized an unequivocal message: "From the lowest place, one can only go up!" This coming August, Cohen is expected to stand under the chuppah and marry his fiancée, Ziv Avud, who also survived the massacre at the death shelter and fought for his return. The marriage proposal took place in October—two years after the massacre. Among the participants at the event were other hostage survivors, including Noa Argamani, Avinatan Or, Omer Shem-Tov, Almog Meir Jan, and siblings Itay and Maya Regev.
