Former Hamas hostage Elkana Bohbot became a "completely different person" after his return from captivity, and has been focusing on writing his book, 738 Days in Hamas Captivity, to aid in his recovery process, he told 103FM in an interview on Wednesday morning.
"I'm trying to push it," he said. "It's important to me that the book is in every home. That's my mission."
He is also planning a lecture tour, beginning in Israel in March, with plans to travel internationally afterwards. "My recovery is also my explanation, to perpetuate my friends, may their memories be a blessing."
"I know that someday I'll go out again and make people dance, but right now I'm just not able to," he added.
Before October 7, 2023, Bohbot was a routine party-goer and one of the organizers of the Nova festival.
"When the rockets started, a police officer ran up to me and told me we needed to disperse the event," Bohbot recalled. "We shut off the music, and I told everyone to get out of there. Those are the moments I'll never forget for my whole life."
Bohbot rebuilding family connection
Bohbot talked extensively about his family life, particularly his relationship with his son. "I'm over the moon, I won my life back as a prize," he said. "I'm at Sheba every week, getting treatment with my son; we do a lot of things together, and on Friday, I'm going to start riding horses with him."
His current role in the family is a "full-time dad," Bohbot described. He explained that he is working with a psychiatrist to learn how to rebuild his connection to his wife and son.
"Yesterday, on Family Day, my son drew a picture," he recounted proudly, "and you could finally see color in it - yellow, blue, red. He drew the whole family together."
Bohbot also talked about the next exciting event: Purim. "For two years, I didn't get to see what my son dressed up as. It ate at my heart in the tunnels. I thought maybe he was dressed up as a policeman, maybe a soldier, maybe an Indian. Now my ultimate happiness is to go eat ice cream with him. Everything new, experiencing a child anew."
Another source of joy for Bohbot was the support he received from Israeli society, including when he was invited as a guest of honor to see his favorite soccer team, Beitar Jerusalem, play in Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. "I grew up in the eastern stands. I was a member for ten years. The other day, I had one of the craziest moments of my life. These moments can't be put into words."
The difficulties associated with recovery were shared in good humor. When asked about his sleep, Bohbot said, "Sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes why not?"
"There's a lot of pain and loss that I'm carrying," he admitted. "A lot of friends and a lot of people. Beyond the suffering I went through, I have those hard moments when I find myself alone, and then my thoughts start to wander. That's where my fear is."