Freed Hostages Describe Horrors of Hamas Captivity

Strategic Insights -

Avishag Shaar-Yashuv and David Guttenfelder Eitan Horn, a freed hostage in his late 30s, lost about half his body weight and was forced to walk for about 12 hours through the tunnels beneath Gaza when his captors wanted to move him, his sister-in-law, Dalia Cusnir, said in an interview. The wife of another survivor of Hamas captivity, Elkana Bohbot, said in a video statement that he had returned with severe stomach pain because his captors had tried to fatten him up before his release, after months of receiving hardly any food.

The families of the 20 living hostages released to Israel on Monday waited with trepidation to find out the condition of the captives who had been kept largely incommunicado with little food and sometimes shackled. In many cases, they were held in dank, dark tunnels deep under Gaza, where some hostages had been forced to appear in hostage videos looking emaciated, distressed and pleading for their lives.

As the captives began to recover, some details emerged about their time in captivity. Idit Ohel, the mother of Alon Ohel, a pianist who was taken captive, injured as he tried to flee the Nova music festival, said he had lived for two years with shrapnel in his right eye and his head. He would undergo surgery, she said, adding that the doctors were optimistic that his eyesight could improve significantly. Ms. Ohel said her son had returned exhausted. But a short while after arriving at Beilinson Hospital, also known as Rabin Medical Center, near Tel Aviv, he sat down to play a piano "after more than 700 days in the silence of the tunnels."

Key Takeaways:

  • At least 20 living hostages were released to Israel on Monday after being held captive for over a year by Hamas in Gaza.
  • The hostages experienced severe malnutrition and physical abuse, with some losing up to half their body weight in captivity.
  • Some hostages were held in dark, damp tunnels for extended periods, with limited access to food, water, and sanitation.
  • At least one hostage, Eitan Horn, was forced to walk for 12 hours through the tunnels to be moved by his captors.
  • Hostages were subjected to psychological abuse, with some being forced to appear in hostage videos pleading for their lives.
  • At least one hostage, Alon Ohel, was injured while trying to flee the Nova music festival and had to undergo surgery for shrapnel in his eye and head.
  • Some hostages experienced trauma, including being held alone for nearly two years and being deprived of natural light and social interaction.
  • The release of the hostages was part of a cease-fire deal that exchanged nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners held by Israel for the release of the hostages.

Statistics:

  • 20 living hostages were released to Israel on Monday.
  • At least 10 former hostages are recuperating at Sheba Medical Center, with 2 being released on Thursday.
  • The hostages had been held captive for over a year, with some being held for up to 2 years.
  • Over 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners were released by Israel as part of the cease-fire deal.
  • At least 10 hostages were subjected to severe malnutrition, with some losing up to half their body weight in captivity.

Sources:

  • The New York Times, "Freed Hostages Describe Horrors of Hamas Captivity"
  • Sheba Medical Center, video statement by Prof. Itai Pessach on the condition of the 10 former hostages recuperating at the hospital
  • Instagram post by Bar Kupershtein
  • Photos by Avishag Shaar-Yashuv and David Guttenfelder for The New York Times