Eliya Cohen, who was held captive by Hamas for 505 days, and Ziv Abud, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre, have married in Israel. The couple tied the knot Wednesday at Ronit Farm in front of 1,000 guests, marking a new chapter after their ordeal during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
Cohen and Abud were at the Nova Music Festival when the Iran-backed militant group launched its attack. They had arrived with Ziv's nephew, Amit Ben Avida, and his girlfriend, Karin Schwarzman, who were killed along with 17 others in a roadside shelter known as the “shelter of death.”
Abud hid among the bodies in the shelter to evade capture. Cohen, however, was taken hostage by Hamas, along with other festivalgoers. He endured 505 days of captivity in Gaza, reportedly experiencing torture, starvation, and injuries from an untreated bullet wound sustained at the festival. A video released in June showed Cohen in the back of a truck amidst armed militants celebrating their capture of festival attendees. He was eventually released in February 2025.
Following Cohen's abduction, Abud learned that Cohen had purchased a ring with the intention of proposing. The couple has now been reunited and are looking towards the future as husband and wife. The ceremony featured Israeli singer-songwriter Amir Benayoun performing a song for the couple.