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Former Hamas Hostage, Nova Survivor to Debut Artwork Inspired by Captivity in NYC Solo Exhibit
Andrei Koslov in studio with some of his artwork that will be on display in his solo exhibition “So-Real Surreal.” Photo: Provided
Andrei Koslov, a Russian-Israeli artist who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, and rescued in an Israeli operation last year, will have a solo art exhibition in New York City next month that will feature 12 original pieces heavily inspired by his time in captivity.
The invitation-only exhibit is titled “So-Real Surreal: An October 7th Survivor’s Story” and will take place on May 8 at Lux Contemporary, located in Chelsea.
Koslov, 28, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has always had a passion for art, specifically painting and drawing in acrylic, oil or just a pencil and paper, he recently told The Algemeiner. He moved to Israel in August 2022 and on Oct. 7, 2023, he was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists during their deadly rampage at the Nova music festival, where he was working as a security guard, and across southern Israel. Koslov was held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip for eight months and one day until he was rescued by the Israel Defense Forces, along with three other hostages, during a daring IDF operation on June 8, 2024. Upon his return to Israel, Koslov took a few months to rest and recovery from the trauma he faced in Hamas captivity, but then picked up the paintbrush once again, he told The Algemeiner.
“I started to paint again and I figured out that I have something to show people, first of all about my experience,” he said. “It’s really close to my heart to paint.”
Koslov met Jewish art dealer and gallerist Emanuel Friedman during a trip to New York, and together they assembled the solo exhibit that will take place at Friedman’s Lux Contemporary.
Some of Koslov’s artwork that will be on display are inspired by thoughts and emotions he has about his time in captivity. “I have been influenced by this experience on my soul and on my mind,” he said. He has also drawn various scenes he remembers from his experience. He said some of the artwork are based on memories and “looks real,” while the experience “was so surreal.”
He also painted “little things that I remember, most of all, that gave me hope during captivity,” he added. “By accident, I put my hope and faith into these little things. For example, I saw a lot of times, two months before I was rescued, a little bird behind the window and I was able to just see its shadow. Or it was a little electronic candle that the terrorists gave us, to be able to see something in the completely dark room. And on the day when they brought us to Gaza, I saw a couple of times pictures on the wall, just maybe it was posters, with the cartoon Bambi.”
Friedman told The Algemeiner they hope to display Koslov’s artwork in museums and exhibitions around the world.
Andrei Koslov in studio with his artwork that will be on display in his solo exhibition “So-Real Surreal.” Photo: Provided
The post Former Hamas Hostage, Nova Survivor to Debut Artwork Inspired by Captivity in NYC Solo Exhibit first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.