Gelienor “Jimmy” Leano Pacheco,  a Filipino national, was abducted on October 7 and returned to Israel as part of the November 2023 ceasefire/hostage release deal.

On October 7, Jimmy, a 33-year-old father of three, was in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he worked as a caregiver for Amitai Ben Zvi, H’yd, 80. When the assault began, Amitai pleaded with Jimmy to run and hide and save himself but he refused to leave the elderly man’s side. Moments later, Amitai, z’l, was murdered in front of his eyes and he was brutally abducted to Gaza.

Channel 12 reported that in their first days of captivity, Jimmy, Yarden and Ofer were held together in the dark, damp tunnels and a special bond formed between them.

Adina Moshe, 72, who was also abducted from Nir Oz on October 7 and was released in the November 2023 deal, was held near the the three men. When she realized the three men were being held in cages, she didn’t hesitate to demand from the terrorists: “Release them, bring them us to us.”

She later realized that Sahar Calderon, Ofer’s daughter, was in an adjacent tunnel and arranged to reunite them.

“Jimmy was right next to Yarden on the mattress,” Adina recounted. “They talked about their children. He wouldn’t leave his side for a moment.”

On hot nights, when the humidity and crowding became unbearable, Jimmy came up with a creative solution: “He took the flip-flop at night and fanned Yarden’s face.”

In order to pass the infinite time, Jamie began teaching his native language to Ofer and Yarden. Together, they even improvised Zumba sessions in the cramped space

Jimmy himself spoke about the bond in an interview after his release. “When I cried, they took care of me and assured me that the Israeli government is helping. We sang together, laughed, and I even taught Yarden my language,” he told Army Radio.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)