Full Breakdown
Former Hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen Debuts “Minus One” Album at Kibbutz Nir Oz
8/12/2026, 12:44:56 AM
Core Event: Homecoming Concert Brings Captivity-Composed Songs to the Public
On a Monday night, former hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen performed his debut album “Minus One” on the central lawn of Kibbutz Nir Oz. The concert, part of the Israel Festival, attracted roughly 3,000 attendees—including bereaved families, former captives, and community members. Accompanied by Israeli artists Idan Raichel, Marina Maximilian and the band Hatikva 6, Dekel-Chen presented nine songs he wrote, composed and memorized during his 498-day captivity in Gaza.
Background & Context
On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants abducted Dekel-Chen from his home in Nir Oz, shooting him in the shoulder and subjecting him to torture. He spent 498 days confined in an underground tunnel, later naming the album after that depth. Music “kept playing in my head,” he later said, helping him maintain sanity. He was released on February 15, 2025 in a U.S.–brokered exchange and recorded the nine songs on his phone two nights later while still hospitalized.
Data & Statistics
- 498 days of captivity, no writing tools or instruments.
- 9 songs composed and memorized in his mind.
- 3,000 people attended the concert, the first major event at Nir Oz since the October 7 attack.
- The Israel Festival runs from July 28 to August 20, featuring music, theater, dance and performance art across Jerusalem, the Western Negev and Israel’s north.
- Proceeds are earmarked for nonprofit organizations assisting bereaved families of the Israel-Hamas war.
Official Statements & Responses
Prof. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, Sagui’s father, called the event “dual-purpose,” serving both as a personal testimony and a communal act of remembrance. Festival organizers said the concert’s proceeds will support charities helping families affected by the conflict.
Why It Matters / Impact
The performance turned the central lawn of Nir Oz—from a site of mourning into a space of collective healing. By giving voice to songs that survived only in memory, Dekel-Chen offered a tangible narrative of survival and the psychological toll of captivity, signaling a step toward rebuilding community life in a kibbutz that suffered severe casualties and abductions.
Timeline
- October 7, 2023 – Hamas attack; Dekel-Chen abducted.
- 498 days – Captivity in Gaza tunnels.
- February 12, 2025 – Captors inform him of an imminent release.
- February 15, 2025 – Dekel-Chen released.
- Two nights later – Records all nine songs on his phone while hospitalized.
- Monday night (date not disclosed) – Public debut of “Minus One” at Kibbutz Nir Oz.
- July 28 – August 20 – Israel Festival runs across multiple venues.
