Here Lived
In this home lived Yaakov family lived here. Sheer, Or, and Yagil grew up in this home with their mother, Renana.
Renana herself grew up in Nir Oz and was a central figure in the kibbutz. She took an active role in the management of the kibbutz and served two terms as the kibbutz’s general secretary. Renana was also in charge of the kibbutz Planning and Infrastructure Committee, a role she held until October 6, 2023.
October 7th
On the morning of this horrific Shabbat, Renana was in the neighboring Kibbutz Sufa. Like Nir Oz, Sufa is also located on the border with the Gaza Strip and was attacked at the same time as Nir Oz.
The morning of the attack, Or, then 16 years old, and Yagil, 12 years old, were home. At 9:36 a.m., they called Renana and told her that they could hear terrorists breaking in through the back door and coming into the house. A few minutes later, Yagil and Or were both taken hostage separately.
At the same time, at the home of the couple Meirav Tal and Yair Yaakov – the father of Sheer, Or, and Yagil – the terrorists shot at the safe room door, and Yair was severely wounded in a main artery in his leg. The terrorists detonated an explosive device to break in, and the blast blew the door open. Meirav and Yair pretended to be dead, but the terrorists forced them out and abducted them separately as well. Meirav was taken and held in captivity for 53 days; Yair z”l was murdered outside his home, presumably while attempting to escape.
A Gaza resident kidnapped Yagil, taking him into Gaza on the back of an electric bicycle and later handing him over to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. For fifty days, Yagil was held alone in private homes in Gaza. Two days before his release, Yagil was taken to the Nasser “Hospital”, where he was reunited with other hostages, including his father’s girlfriend, Merav Tal.
Or was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists of the Nukhba forces and held in the tunnels with other hostages from Nir Oz. During his 52 days in captivity, he was moved between different tunnels and houses.
What Happened Since
On the 52nd day of their captivity, on November 27, 2023, following a global campaign for their release, Yagil and Or were reunited when they were transferred to a Red Cross minibus and returned to the warm embrace of their mother, Renana, and their older sister, Sheer.
Their father, Yair, had been murdered on that horrific Shabbat. His body was kidnapped to Gaza and held by Hamas for 614 days. It was returned, along with that of Aviv Atzili z”l, in an IDF rescue operation. Yair was laid to rest in Nir Oz on June 20, 2025. He was murdered at the age of 59. May his memory be a blessing.
