Former hostage Ofer Calderon rode in the Tour de France with Israel’s cycling team—an emotional journey from the depths of Gaza captivity, marked by survival, solidarity, and a heartfelt plea for those still held.
“Yes,” he says in the lobby of a luxury Paris hotel, worlds removed from the darkness of a Gaza tunnel. “While I was in captivity, I imagined myself riding. I knew those trails by heart. I could see them.”
Calderon, 54, was released on February 1, 2025, after spending nearly a year and a half in captivity. Now, he’s seeing Paris for the first time. “I’m a kibbutznik,” he says with a soft smile. “I’ve traveled a bit in Europe, but never to France.”
His journey to Paris was made possible by Israel Premier Tech owners Sylvan Adams and Ronny Braun, who invited Calderon both to offer healing and to raise awareness in the ongoing struggle to bring home the remaining hostages.