Hostage escaped Hamas but was discovered and returned by Gazans, aunt says

An International Red Cross vehicle carrying Israeli Russian hostage Ron Kriboy, released by Hamas, drives towards the Rafah border point with Egypt ahead of a transfer to Israel on November 26. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

A Russian-Israeli hostage who managed to escape from Hamas was recaptured and returned to the militants, before being finally released on Sunday, his aunt has said.

Roni Kriboy was abducted from the Nova music festival during the Hamas terror attack on October 7, and was then held at a building in Gaza, Yelena Magid told Israeli radio station Kan Reshet B on Monday.

The 25-year-old dual national managed to escape when the building was bombed, but after hiding out for a few days, he was caught and returned to Hamas, Magid said during a call to the radio station.

“He said that he was kidnapped by terrorists and they brought him inside some building,” she said.

“I understood from the bombings, the building collapsed and he managed to escape from there… and for several days he hid there and was alone and in the end the Gazans caught him and returned him to the hands of the terrorists,” Magid added.

“He tried to reach the border. I think that because he didn’t have the means to understand his whereabouts and where to run away, he probably got into a bit of disorientation there in the area. He was alone for four days,” she added.

Kriboy suffered a head injury when the building he was being held in collapsed, but is doing fine now, Magid told the radio station.

Read more about the Russian-Israeli hostage who escaped from Hamas, but was found and returned by Gazans.