January 27, 2026, is the first day in nearly 12 years that Israel woke up with the knowledge that there are no hostages, living or dead, in Gaza.
To celebrate this day and honor those who have fallen, The Jerusalem Post has created a timeline in remembrance of the national struggle to finally bring every hostage home.
2014: Operation Protective Edge
On June 12, 2014, Hamas kidnapped and murdered Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer, and Naftali Fraenkel, three hitchhiking Israeli teens, sparking a war between Israel and Hamas.
On August 1, the US and UN announced that a ceasefire had been reached between Israel and Hamas, which would have allowed the IDF to continue dismantling certain Hamas tunnels.
That morning, Lieutenant Hadar Goldin (4,117 days) was operating with his unit in Rafah. While working to dismantle a tunnel, Hamas terrorists, in breach of the US and UN-brokered ceasefire announced only hours earlier, emerged from the tunnel, shooting two soldiers and taking Hadar captive, along with the body of St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul (3,836 days).
A few weeks later, Avera Mengistu (3,821 days), an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, crossed the border into the Gaza Strip on September 7, where he was held alive for over a decade.
2015: Hisham al-Sayed is kidnapped
On April 20, 2015, Hisham al-Sayed (3,597 days), from the Israeli Bedouin town of Hura, wandered into southern Gaza and was promptly abducted by Hamas. He was believed to have been struggling with severe mental health issues at the time he entered, having reportedly been diagnosed with schizophrenia, a “personality disorder,” and other conditions.
A woman stands at the site of a burned house in the aftermath of the deadly October 7 attack, at moshav Netiv Ha’asara which borders the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, November 19, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
2023: The October 7 Massacre
Some 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 massacre. Over 250 people were kidnapped and taken into the Gaza Strip. Of those kidnapped, 84 were murdered, either during the massacre or in captivity.
On October 20, American-Israeli Judith (Yehudit) Tai Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan (14 days) were returned to Israel by Hamas on “humanitarian grou
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