“I will fight for justice and truth,” wrote former hostage and IDF observer Karina Ariev in a Saturday Instagram post, marking her first public statement since she was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza a week prior.
Ariev was returned to Israel 478 days after she was taken hostage by Hamas from her base in Nahal Oz. She was released alongside fellow IDF observers Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag. The fifth observer, Agam Berger, was released on Thursday.
In her Instagram post, Ariev wrote, “Today, thank God, I am home, in Israel, with my family and my people.”
She thanked the “brave soldiers who fought and continue to fight day and night on all fronts to protect us, the country, and to enable the return of all hostages.” Ariev also expressed gratitude for those who sacrificed their lives so she could return to Israel.
She also thanked everyone who supported her family with “prayers, efforts, actions, and the unwavering belief that I would return alive.”
“The long-term support is not something to be taken for granted, but you demonstrated unity, love, values, and morality within the people of Israel and the Jewish people,” she continued.
Remembering the fallen
Marking her return, Ariev said she wanted to turn her focus to remembering and commemorating her fellow soldiers, commanders, and observers who fell during the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023.
“I will fight for justice and truth alongside the families. I will never forget the murdered, the innocent souls who were taken from this world so brutally,” she added.
Ariev also expressed her feelings of disbelief at how many people globally know who she is and added that she was beginning the process of filling in gaps of everything that happened while she was in captivity.
She asked that people maintain momentum with actions, prayers, and deeds until all the remaining hostages return.
“I was there. We cannot leave anyone behind, and I will not rest until everyone is back in the land of Israel,” she wrote.
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