Nine-year-old Ohad Munder, a young devoted fan of Hapoel Beersheba, celebrated his birthday in Gaza.
The club had fervently prayed for his safe return and even placed a chair from their stadium at his home. On Friday night, he returned home along with his mother and grandmother.
"Ohad, how wonderful it is to have you back."
Despite enduring a challenging month and a half of intense warfare in Israel, with numerous losses and hundreds of Israelis held captive in Gaza due to the ruthless terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, Friday brought smiles to Israeli's faces: 13 captives were released.
Among them were members of the Munder family: Ohad's grandmother Ruthie, his mother Keren, and Ohad himself, the devoted Hapoel Beersheba fan.
Israeli soccer club salutes return of young fan
Hapoel Beersheba expressed their happiness, saying, "Ohad, how wonderful it is to have you back." A few days ago, a chair from the 'Toto Turner' stadium was placed in the city, awaiting young Mundar, who had been kidnapped on October 7. We are thrilled that Ohad, along with 12 other captives, has returned today and will be spending the Shabbat in Israel. We eagerly await the swift return of all the other captives.'
The players of Hapoel Beersheba marked Ohad's 9th birthday and offered their prayers for his quick return. Elyaniv Barda, manager of Hapoel Beersheba, conveyed his wishes, saying, "Dear Ohad, take good care of yourself. We pray for your safe return to us, for your strength, and we want you to know that we love you."
Ohad, along with his mother and grandmother, has been released and reunited with his family, although his grandfather Abraham remains in captivity. Tragically, Roi Munder, Ohad's uncle, lost his life on the Black Sabbath of October 7 2023.