Former hostage Maxim Herkin, who spent more than two years in Hamas
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...captivity, has released his book, "Coming to Light," recounting his survival in tunnels under the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
Strip.
The book’s full title in Hebrew is "The Captivity Diary of the Captain Who Kept a Secret."
Herkin, 37, was taken captive on October 7, 2023, while fleeing the Paleostinian terror group’s massacre at the Re’im-area Nova music festival, the first rave he ever attended. He was there with his friends Matías and Einav Burstein, who were murdered while trying to escape. He was released on October 13, 2025.
In the book, according to publisher Steimatzky, Herkin, a dual Russian-Israeli citizen and reserve captain in the Israel Defense Forces, shares a diary he secretly wrote and kept during his captivity.
He never told his captors that he was an IDF officer.
"Today, a story that lived inside me for a long time finally became a book," wrote Herkin on social media. "I’m truly happy and grateful that this moment has arrived. I hope these pages will touch people, make them feel something real, and stay with them long after the last chapter."
In the book, Herkin shares his decision to gather intelligence while held hostage, as well as other decisions he made to survive.
Herkin wrote the book in Hebrew. He posted on social media that he hopes it will also be released in English.
Herkin has spoken about how he and the other hostages managed to receive Israel’s Army Radio underground by using the wiring of light fixtures as an antenna, something that worked only after the lights went off.
Herkin was taken captive and into the Gaza tunnels with former hostages Yosef-Haim Ohana and Segev Kalfon from the Nova rave and held together with Ohad Ben Ami, who was released in February 2025. They were also held with Elkana Bohbot and Bar Kuperstein, who were released on October 13 alongside Herkin, Kalfon and Ohana.
Other former hostages have written books about their experiences, including Eli Sharabi, Aviva Siegel and Kuperstein, all referring to writing as part of their ongoing healing process.