Danny Miran, father of the recently released hostage Omri Miran, told N12 News that his son's treatment in captivity was marginally better than that of other hostages, despite the inhumane conditions.
“He knew how to keep himself busy. He was well-fed and never starved. He cooked for himself and even for the terrorists," Danny Miran told N12 on Friday evening.
"He even decided which spices they should bring. Of course, there were worse days, like when they locked him in a cage. But if there was anyone who could handle captivity, it was him.”
Miran added that Omri reportedly connected with people he met in the enclave.
"One day, they took him to the sea. He's connected to many people, and apparently, he built relationships wherever he went in Gaza. People there recognized his strength and unique character. When he wanted to say no, he made sure to do so," Danny said.
Omri Miran's family discusses his captivity in Gaza
"In the last video we saw, we, as a family, recognized it was him. We could tell he was unwilling, but still, he stood strong. What happened was that the terrorists filmed him once, but their commander wasn’t satisfied with the result. He said Omri hadn’t made the right movements.
"They forced him to film again. Omri told them, 'I won’t do it again, this is all I’ve got.' They filmed him again, but even then, he didn’t act as they wanted. At that point, the commander got angry and approached Omri with a gun. Omri said, 'This is all I know, do what you want, do you understand?'"
"After that, the tension eased. He even confronted the terrorists about their agreements. There were times when they cursed Sinwar and Hamas leadership, blaming them for the ongoing war.”
This comes after Boaz Miran, Omri's brother, told Israel Hayom that his brother was kept in a small cell for the first few weeks of his captivity.
“At first, there were five hostages in a cage just 1.8 meters by 1.6 meters. You couldn’t stand – you had to crouch,” Boaz Miran said. “Gradually, they took people out until only he and one other hostage were left.”
Boaz said Omri was bound for three weeks, though not immediately after being abducted. “We don’t know why. It had to do with the terrorists who were holding them. They kept changing – the locations, the people, everything,” he said.
Omri was taken hostage in front of his wife and two daughters on October 7. He is from Kibbutz Nahal Oz and worked as a shiatsu therapist and a gardener.
On October 7, terrorists livestreamed as they dragged Miran and his family from the safe room in their home to a second location, eventually deciding to abduct only Miran to Gaza. While the family had originally locked the door of the safe room, Hamas held a neighbor at gunpoint, forcing the neighbor to beg Miran to open the door for him, leading to Miran inadvertently granting the terrorists entry, according to KAN.
Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.