Eitan Mor, now 25, did not tell his parents that he would be working as a security guard at a music festival in southern Israel. His family only learned that he had traveled down to the Nova Music Festival in Re’im from his home in Jerusalem when Mor began texting his uncle his location, updates of looking for a hiding space in a large open field and descriptions of the invading terrorists.
Little was heard from Mor for months. His family knew only that he was last seen trying to help festivalgoers escape terrorists along with his friends.
Signs of life were received from Mor in March 2024 and again in February 2025 from a released hostage, his parents told Ynet.
Efrat and Tzvika Mor credited their son’s survival with his “incredible social skills” which he has used to become “the spokesman” for the hostages to Hamas.
“The picture we’d formed in our minds of how Eitan was handling captivity—it’s exactly what’s happening. That was early in the captivity, and we believe he’s still the same,” Efrat told Ynet in May.
The released hostage reportedly recounted to Mor’s parents that he had lifted the spirits of three men he was held alongside in a tunnel.
“Even in that hell, Eitan lifted everyone’s spirits. Two of the guys kidnapped from kibbutzim were completely hopeless. Eitan cheered them up, made them laugh, and instilled in them the hope that they’d get out. We’re not surprised—that’s exactly who he is,” Tzvika told Ynet.
Advocating against partial release hostage deals
Mor’s father is the co-founder of the Tikva forum, a group of hostage families that has been generally critical of a hostage-ceasefire deal that would leave any captives behind. However, the Mor family are one of several to soften their stance on a deal after seeing the critical health condition of Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami during their release.
"A deal where we don't get all the hostages at once endangers the vast majority of the hostages. That kind of deal would cost us our achievements in the war so far. Let's look into the eyes of all the grieving families who lost their loved ones in battle to prevent another October 7. Such a deal is not promising," Tzvika previously told Israeli media, stressing that a partial deal would “bury” Mor “in Gaza” as he is “the bottom of the chain” to be released. "I say this reluctantly because a deal is a euphemism for surrendering to a terrorist organization. The State of Israel is once again surrendering to a terrorist organization, once again not standing by its red lines. If I knew that all the hostages would return at once and we would maintain control of the Philadelphi Corridor and Netzarim - which are the major achievements of the war - I could somewhat consider that deal. But it won't happen. How can we talk about a deal when we don't know the condition of our hostages? I demand that the State of Israel, as a regional power, find the price that even Sinwar is not willing to pay."
Tzvika also previously suggested that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar would be swayed if Israel annexed a kilometer of Gaza every day the hostages are kept in captivity.
“How can you stand in front of people and say, ’I want my son back, and I don’t care about you?’” Tzvika told The Associated Press in February 2024. “Instead of us only worrying about our son, we are concerned for the whole country.”
Tzvika told AP that months before the attacks, the Mor family had discussed the 2011 Gilat Shalit deal and his son had stressed to him that he would never want his release to come at the cost of releasing "murderers."