Surviving Captivity: Testimonies of Former Israeli Hostages under Hamas Control
Surviving in Hamas captivity: Tales of resilience emerge as freed Israeli hostages recount their harrowing ordeal With constant bombings, enforced silence, and meager rations, these brave individuals share their stories of physical and mental endurance, shedding light on their path to recovery
Locked away without light. Compelled to endure silence. Provided with only minimal food. These harrowing details shed light on the survival of hostages in Hamas captivity.
Approximately 240 individuals, ranging from infants to the elderly, were seized during the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7. While some have been released, a significant number are still unaccounted for and are believed to be in the custody of the Palestinian militant organization and other factions in Gaza, as the conflict continues.
The Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations have been denied access to visit the hostages, leaving relatives and the public waiting for information from those who have been freed. They are eager to know the current situation of their loved ones still held in Gaza, including whether they have been seen, and if they are alive or deceased. The following details have been gathered from the accounts of liberated hostages shared with their families, caregivers, and occasionally with journalists.
Kept in the dark amid nonstop bombing
As part of the agreement between Israel and Hamas, the majority of those set free are women, children, and foreign workers. To date, only one adult Israeli man - who also held Russian citizenship - has been released, with no members of the Israeli military included. Hostages are thought to be scattered in various locations and under the control of different factions. It is becoming evident that not all hostages were treated equally; each new recovery will contribute to our understanding of the situation.
After being forcibly removed from her safe room at home in Israel, Adina Moshe was taken to Gaza and coerced into walking through five-story deep tunnels, according to her nephew Eyal Nouri. "She had to walk barefoot through the muddy tunnels," he recounted to CNN. "It was extremely difficult to breathe, and they were forced to march through the tunnels for hours."
Moshe recounted how his aunt was confined to an underground room with minimal lighting for just two hours a day. Nouri added that the darkness, both physical and symbolic, heightened their other senses and imagination due to the lack of information.
"They were completely unaware of what was happening above ground," Nouri explained. "All they could hear was the constant bombing until the day they were set free. Then, there was an eerie silence which signaled that something was about to happen, but they had no idea what."
Adina Moshe's description of the network of tunnels under the densely populated enclave of Gaza was corroborated by the account of Yocheved Lifshitz, an 85-year-old grandmother who was released from the conflict zone ahead of the truce terms.
Israeli security forces are positioned near ambulances at the helipad of Tel Aviv's Schneider medical centre on November 24, 2023, as they prepare for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
(Photo by Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images)
Which hostages have been released in the Israel-Hamas deal?
Thomas Hand had assumed for weeks that his young daughter was also deep underground. "She is probably in a tunnel somewhere under Gaza," Hand told CNN, after discovering that Emily, previously thought to be dead, was actually believed to be a hostage.
"Her birthday is on the 17th of November. She will be 9," he stated. "She won’t even realize that it’s her special day. There won't be a birthday cake, party, or friends. She will just be hiding in a tunnel under Gaza. That's her birthday."
Hand was shocked after Emily's release when she revealed that she, her friend Hila Rotem-Shoshani, and Hila's mother Raaya Rotem, were confined above ground, in a series of houses. This situation brought its own set of dangers. With Israeli forces advancing into Gaza, the trio had to flee from building to building to escape the attacks.
"That's terrifying," Hand said, "Being pulled, dragged, pushed... under gunfire probably." According to independent researchers, an estimated 40-50% of buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated on Wednesday that up to 1.8 million people in Gaza, nearly 80% of the population, are thought to be internally displaced.
Emily had lost track of time, just as Hand had predicted. After 50 days of captivity inside what she called "the box," the little girl told her father that she thought she had been gone for a year.
Video released by the Israeli army shows 9-year-old former hostage Emily Hand embracing her father at a hospital in Israel after being released by Hamas on November 26, 2023.
IDF/AFP via Getty Images
Forced to endure in silence
Meeting her was the most shocking and disturbing part because she only whispered, making it difficult to hear her. Hand had to put his ear on her lips to listen. He revealed that she had been conditioned not to make any noise. Even after being reunited with their families, both Emily and Hila continued to only whisper. Hand noticed that three days later, he could hear Emily from about a meter (three feet) away when she talked, but when she cried, she buried herself under the bedclothes and was nearly silent.
"Keep quiet!" Hand said as she taught the children the Arabic words. Child hostages were permitted to draw or play cards silently. Eitan Yahalomi, a twelve-year-old, was also instructed to remain silent, even as he was forced to watch disturbing films of the October 7 attacks, according to his aunt Deborah Cohen speaking to CNN affiliate BFMTV.
Omer Lubaton Granot, the founder of the Hostages and Missing Family Forums, revealed that Eitan was threatened with a gun to stop him from crying.
"The stories we hear from the children about the harsh reality of captivity are truly unbelievable," Granot said. "Sisters of other children have reported that Hamas told the children that their entire family had died, that nobody wanted them back, and that they had no home to return to. They were trying to scare the children."
Ruth Munder, a released Israeli hostage, walks with an Israeli soldier shortly after her arrival in Israel on November 24.
Israeli Prime Minister's Office/Handout/Reuters
Fed survival rations
Lifshitz, who was released with her neighbor on October 24, stated that captives and guards ate the same food. According to Grandmother Ruth Munder, conditions worsened as the captivity continued and Israels vise on Gaza tightened. UN officials have cautioned about the potential for "massive outbreaks of infectious disease and hunger" in the enclave due to Israel's strict blockade on all imports, allowing only a small amount of humanitarian aid.
The hostages were initially provided with chicken, rice, canned goods, and cheese by a guard. As time passed, the food supply decreased, and they were left with only rice and canned beans, which they were hesitant to eat to avoid stomach pains. This occurred as the economic situation worsened and hunger became a pressing issue. Throughout the day, they were given tea, with sweet treats for the children in the evening.
Emily Hand informed her father that they consistently had breakfast and occasionally had lunch or dinner. She admitted that she had become so hungry that she learned to enjoy plain bread with olive oil. After her release, she expressed a desire to eat "like a horse," but her father explained that they are currently limiting her intake while her shrunken stomach heals.
This is a common experience for other former captives, whose weight loss and pale complexion shocked their families upon their return home.
Thai former captive Uthai Saengnuan said his concern was with his countrymen still in captivity.
Adina Moshe was kept in an underground room and given limited food, her nephew said.
Hostages Missing Families Forum
Physical and mental wounds
Upon arriving in Gaza, 12-year-old Eitan was reportedly subjected to a beating, as confirmed by his aunt. She expressed her disappointment, stating, "Perhaps I was naïve but I thought he would be well-treated. But no, they are monsters," referring to his Hamas captors.
Emily Hand denied being physically abused and her father suggested that the use of harsh words was sufficient to make her comply with demands. Her uncle Yair Rotem told CNN that when her friend Hila speaks about her captivity, it seems as though she is recounting a movie scene rather than her own experience.
An Israeli onlookers observe as a helicopter transporting hostages liberated from the Gaza Strip touches down at the helipad of the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, on Sunday, November 26, 2023. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reaffirmed on Sunday with the release of 17 additional hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of the third set of releases during a four-day truce. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Leo Correa/AP
Released hostages, detainees may face severe psychological effects, experts say
"Currently, she seems somewhat distant and cold," he remarked. "She discusses past events as if they happened to someone else, speaking about witnessing terrible things with a straight face."
After his release, the father of a Thai hostage spoke to his son and reported that he sounded healthy and in good spirits. "He endured bug bites during his time in captivity," said Chumpron Jirachart, the father of Manee Jirachart, in an interview with CNN.
Thomas Hand reported that Emily also experienced insect bites. He emphasized that her scalp was infested with lice, mentioning that he had never seen so many in his life. He and his older daughter worked together to comb through her hair, finding an abundance of small black creatures with just one pass.
Upon returning from Gaza, the 84-year-old Elma Avraham was in critical condition and required a ventilator to survive in the hospital. Dr. Hagai Levine, who heads the medical team for the Hostages and Missing Family Forums, described her condition as a harrowing story told by her own body.
"You can see on her body that she was dragged from place to place, that she was handcuffed," he said. "She has chemical wounds from not treating her basic needs."
Eitan Yahalomi, 12, who was released on November 27, at Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Israeli Defense Forces/Handout/Reuters
First steps to recovery
The process of rehabilitation is a time-consuming journey. According to experts, individuals who were previously detained may encounter a multitude of interconnected psychological effects such as anxiety, depression, disorientation, grief, post-traumatic stress, and survivor's guilt.
After the October 7 attacks, numerous hostages are facing the reality of having lost their homes, as well as discovering the tragic loss of friends and family members. Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev, CEO of the Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, remains hopeful despite the harrowing experiences witnessed by the staff.
"We were shocked by the unimaginable and surreal accounts we heard from many of the children and women. As doctors and caregivers, it's hard for us to believe that such stories can exist," remarked Bron-Harlev. Despite this, their patients showed remarkable strength and determination.
"During the past five days, we encountered children who initially appeared withdrawn and lost, but within a day or two, they were already running around the ward, playing and laughing."
On Friday, Israel stated that it believed 137 hostages taken captive on October 7 were still in Gaza.
CNN's Rachel Clarke in Atlanta collaborated with Joseph Ataman, Wolf Blitzer, Kate Bolduan, Bianna Golodryga, Jessie Gretener, Poppy Harlow, Jacqueline Howard, Lauren Izso, Ed Lavandera, Phil Mattingly, Kocha OIarn, and Clarissa Ward on this report.
