203: Surviving Hostage: Almog Meir Jan, 246 days in Gaza, the courageous IDF rescue and the loss of his father as he came home

About this episode

Almog Meir Jan shares his harrowing experience as a hostage in Gaza and the impact of his father's death during his rescue.

Find the rest of Jonny's podcasts and articles via his Substack channel. Support his efforts by buying him a coffee here. Our guest today is Almog Meir Jan — one of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. Almog was taken from where he hid in woods near the Nova Music Festival, where hundreds of young people were either murdered or abducted. For months, his mother Orit campaigned tirelessly around the world for his release. I interviewed her on TalkTV back in November 2023, and I remember telling her then that I believed her son would come home. Today, I have the privilege of sitting opposite Almog himself — here in London — alive, free, and ready to tell his story. Tragically, just hours before Almog was rescued and reunited with his family, his father died, never getting the chance to see his son return home. We’ll talk about October 7, the terror of captivity inside Gaza, the moment of rescue, what kept hope alive, and what he wants the world to understand now about the hostages still being held. This is a remarkable conversation — and one I’ll never forget. Jonny Gould is proudly supported by Dangoor Education and UK Toremet. Find the rest of…

People in this episode

Host: Jonny Gould

Guest: Almog Meir Jan

Topics covered

• hostage survival
• IDF rescue
• personal tragedy
• Gaza captivity
• hope and resilience
• October 7 attacks

Keywords

• hostage
• Gaza
• IDF
• Hamas
• October 7
• rescue
• tragedy
• survival
• interview

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hamas

Places: Gaza, London

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