After They Returned Campaigns and reunions

Jun 8, 2024

The second chapter of Kan's After They Returned interweaves hostage families' accounts of mobilizing after October 7, suppressing emotion, organizing publicity and finally reuniting. Orit Meir recalls chaotic DNA collection and collective action; Anat Angrest and Vicky Cohen describe the two-year fight for their sons, and Angrest recalls seeing Matan's first captivity video and meeting Gilad Shalit for resilience and campaign advice. Avihai Brodutch recounts starting his Kirya protest after being told his family's return was merely one mission. Families describe Almog Meir Jan's rescue, the Brodutch children's and Eitan Yahalomi's returns, and Angrest's and Cohen's eventual releases. Meir recounts Almog's father's death and Arnon Zamora's fatal injury alongside rescue joy; Yahalomi stresses continuing trauma. Archival clips and uncertainty remain part of the account. An earlier preview repeats part of the Shalit meeting discussion; the closing announces the final chapter for tomorrow.

Orit Meir recounts receiving a call while in Tiberias that Almog was rescued alive and healthy and was flying to Tel Hashomer. She describes shock, shaking and the urgency of reaching him. The preview includes a brief rescue recording. The feature supports his rescue and the mother's notification, without supplying a complete account of every participant or casualty in the operation. Kan's October 6 complete family chapter situates Almog Meir Jan's rescue within the coordinated June 8, 2024 Nuseirat rescue of four living hostages. Orit Meir describes the reunion, his pallor and her relief, and learning that his father had been found dead. The chapter also carries archival reporting that Arnon Zamora was fatally wounded while leading the rescue team. Preserve these source-grounded preconditions and consequences without claiming a complete account of every rescued person or casualty.