After more than a decade in an Iraqi prison, Benjamin Ben Limor was released today (Wednesday) and is expected to make his way back to Israel in the coming days. His release follows an agreement reached in Iraq in late 2025 that led to the cancellation of the death sentence imposed on him in 2020.
1+The ordeal began in 2014, when Ben Limor traveled to visit his grandparents in Iraqi Kurdistan as ISIS was seizing territory across the region—and joined local efforts to defend against the terrorists. In 2015, he was caught in an ambush by a taxi driver who realized he spoke Hebrew and threatened to turn him over to the terrorist organization.
During the struggle that followed, the taxi driver was wounded and later died of his injuries, leading to Ben Limor’s immediate arrest, harsh interrogations and ultimately a death sentence by hanging handed down by a Kurdish court. Ahead of his return to Israel, Ben Limor is expected to join the Foundations Program at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem and begin a process of rehabilitation and initial readjustment after his long years of imprisonment.
1+As he prepares to arrive in Israel, Ben Limor is now expected to begin a new chapter in his life. At the initiative of advocates and others who accompanied his case, arrangements have been made for him to join Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem, which has already sent him an official acceptance letter to the Foundations Program at its Old City study hall. Alongside preparations for his arrival, he is expected to undergo a rehabilitation process focused on his initial readjustment, obtaining clothing and religious items, and meeting his basic needs after more than a decade behind bars.