JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Former hostage Sagi Dekel-Chen took to the stage Monday evening at Kibbutz Nir Oz to perform, for the first time, the nine songs he composed entirely in his mind during the 498 days he was held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

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The deeply emotional performance, held as part of the Israel Festival, took place in the very kibbutz where Dekel-Chen grew up and where the October 7 massacre forever changed the community. For him, returning to perform there was not just a celebration, but another chapter in an unfinished story.

“לשיר מפה שירי חופש זה דבר קשה נורא”, כתב, הלחין ושיר שורד השבי שגיא דקל חן, ב”שיר השירים”. בשעה זאת שגיא מקיים מקיים מופע מרגש ומיוחד על הדשא של קיבוץ ניר עוז, ממנו נחטף בטבח ה-7 באוקטובר, בפני כ-3000 אנשים. במופע, “מהשבי אל הדשא: הסיפורים והשירים” שמו, הנערך במסגרת פסטיבל… pic.twitter.com/5h87npK3yj

— Sagi Bin Nun שגיא בן נון (@sagibi) August 10, 2026

Unable to write, play an instrument, or even sing aloud during his captivity, Dekel-Chen turned to music as a lifeline. Month after month, he composed melodies and lyrics in his head, rehearsing them over and over so they would not be forgotten. The nine songs became a source of strength and hope, preserved entirely through memory until the day he regained his freedom.

Following his release on February 15, 2025, Dekel-Chen immediately set out to ensure the songs would survive.

“Two days after I was freed, late at night in the hospital,” he wrote in a personal letter to audience members, “I went into a side room and, with the voice of a frog deprived of oxygen, quietly—even with a little embarrassment—I recorded all nine songs on my phone, words and melody.”

The songs were later arranged and produced by musicians Liad Grushka and Idan Shneor. During the concert, Dekel-Chen interwove the music with personal stories from captivity, accompanied by a live band and special guests.

The Israel Festival said the event featured some of Israel’s leading musicians, former hostages, bereaved families and close friends, creating an evening that reflected both personal resilience and national grief.

In his letter, Dekel-Chen emphasized that he never intended to become a performer.

“I am not a singer,” he wrote. “I am a father who sings. I never dreamed of becoming a singer or standing on a stage.”

Explaining why he chose Nir Oz for his first performance, he wrote, “My first concert will be in Nir Oz, my home. This is the same lawn where I ran as a child, where I first met my wife, Mili, where we raised our two daughters, where I fought, and where my friends fell.”

He stressed that the evening was “not a celebration, not a party, not closure, not victory… It is simply part of the story.”

Expressing hope for the future of the devastated community, Dekel-Chen added, “I hope Nir Oz will be rebuilt with new life. I hope this event will become one of the foundation stones of its future.”

He concluded his invitation with a simple message: “This is your story too. You are invited.”

Kibbutz Nir Oz described itself as “a place of memory, resilience, hope and the future,” inviting visitors to walk its paths and visit sites that became symbols of the October 7 attack.

“We invite you to look reality in the eye,” the kibbutz said, “and to face the future through the music and the stories that Sagi brought back with him from the deepest darkness. Come, we are waiting for you at home.”