"Eliya was by Raz’s side during the last five minutes of his life, but for us, that means the world," said Ofek Bokobza, the brother of Raz Bokobza, who was murdered at theNova music festivalonOctober 7.
He made the remarks Wednesday in response to aninterview with freed hostage Eliya Cohen, who revealed that Bokobza was shot dead after jumping from the vehicle in which they were both being abducted by Hamas terrorists.
"Hearing Eliya gives me chills," Ofek added. "We’ve seen horrific videos, but learning that they were on the same truck and that he witnessed my brother being murdered by the terrorists—it takes your breath away."
In his interview with Hebrew-language Channel 12, Cohen recounted how, after being kidnapped and while en route to Gaza, Bokobza attempted to escape and was murdered by Hamas terrorists. "He chose to take control of the situation and said, ‘I’m jumping.’ We told him not to, but he jumped out of the moving vehicle. They stopped the truck and killed him. And then we just kept driving to Gaza as if nothing had happened."
Bokobza and Cohen were among five Israelis loaded onto a white pickup truck, but Bokobza made the split-second decision to jump in a desperate bid to save his life.
Ofek said his family hopes to hear more from Cohen and fellow freed hostageOr Levy, who was also with Raz in his final moments. "There were five Israelis on that truck. Only four made it into Gaza, and of them, thankfully, two returned alive," Ofek said. "We estimate that the entire ordeal on the truck lasted about five minutes before Raz was shot, but for us, knowing about those final moments is everything."
"We knew what happened to Raz"
On October 7, the Bokobza family saw videos from a car dashcam that had recorded Raz’s murder after he jumped from the vehicle on Route 232, near what became known as the "shelter of death." "These are horrific videos, but they gave us answers about what happened to Raz," Ofek said. "We saw him jump."
That morning, Raz had sent two messages to his family, which arrived late due to network disruptions. The first read, "It’s chaos, there are rockets, we’re getting in the car." The second, sent later, said, "We were hit. Love you all."
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שורד השבי אלי-ה כהן, בעצרת כיכר החטופיםשורד השבי אלי-ה כהן, בעצרת כיכר החטופים
Eliya Cohen
(Photo: Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
"A year and a half later, hearing Eliya, it really hits—if Raz hadn’t jumped, maybe he’d still be alive," Ofek said. "But we’re proud that he made that decision. When he jumped from the truck, he took control of his fate and made a courageous choice."
Raz’s family is currently working to establish a memorial in their hometown of Beit Nehemia, honoring both Raz and his close friend Ilay Cohen, who was killed in combat in Gaza.
"Every day could be Alon's last"
Eliya Cohen’s testimony also struck a nerve with Kobi Ohel, whose son,Alon Ohel, has been held hostage in Gaza for 544 days. Ohel and Cohen were together in Hamas tunnels alongsideEli Sharabiand Or Levy.
In the interview, Cohen described Alon’s deteriorating condition: "He went into panic, he was terrified, and he started crying. He can’t see out of one eye, and his condition is probably not good."
Kobi Ohel responded, saying, "We heard another testimony from Eliya about Alon’s situation. We now know that he has a severe eye injury and is at risk of losing his vision. That’s why there’s such urgency to bring them home as soon as possible—to save Alon’s life, get him back, and give him the medical care he desperately needs."
Calling for progress on a hostage deal, Kobi said it was the only way to save his son. "This is where I stand—I demand action. Every day, we fear for Alon’s life. Any day could be his last. I don’t want to get that phone call saying, ‘We tried, we did everything, but it didn’t work.’ I know there’s a way to bring them home, and that way is through a deal."
Kobi described the constant fear he lives with and urged the government to put the hostages back at the top of the national agenda. "Every day, I cry out for Alon," he said. "He’s tied up, shackled, starving and now we know his eye injury is life-threatening. I demand that the Israeli government address the treatment of wounded hostages and find a solution to get them out."
"We know Alon’s condition isn’t just based on intelligence reports—it’s coming from someone who was with him for a year and a half," Kobi said. "But now Alon is alone. He knew a deal was happening because he saw his friends being released. And now he’s still there. What does that mean? How much longer can he survive—mentally, physically?"