WJC at UNHRC │ Wife of Israeli Hostage Elkana Bohbot Appeals for Her Husband's Release

For more than 600 days, Rebecca Bohbot has been fighting for the freedom of her husband, Elkana, who was taken hostage into Gaza on October 7, 2023. Rebecca addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June 2025, speaking on behalf of the WJC, the European Union of Jewish Students, and the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists.

Read the full statement below:

I represent the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, the World Jewish Congress, and the European Union of Jewish Students.

My name is Rebecca Bohbot. I am the wife of Elkana Bohbot, 36, who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, by the terrorist group Hamas.

Elkana is the father of a five-year-old boy. Elkana and three other fathers who are in captivity are: Omri Miran, father of two girls, ages two and four; David Cunio, father of two girls, age five; and Maxim Herkin, father of a girl, approximately seven.

Life and dignity cannot be held hostage by any conflict. Six hundred eighteen days of silence, fear, and pain have passed.

We know from testimonies from released hostages the inhumane conditions in which the hostages live: hunger, chains, and isolation.

I ask that you use your authority to ensure that my husband, Elkana, and the aforementioned parents who are still alive, along with the rest of the 53 hostages, are released and return home as soon as possible.