The Untold Stories: Revealing the Harsh Realities Faced by Israeli Hostages in Hamas Captivity
Harrowing accounts reveal the brutal reality endured by Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity, including tales of deprivation, desperate attempts to escape, and the enduring struggle for survival since October 7
The conditions in which the Israeli hostages captured by Hamas were held in Gaza were shrouded in mystery for over six weeks. However, recent testimony from some of the hostages released by the militant group is shedding light on their lives in captivity following the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7.
Survivors have recounted their harrowing experiences of surviving on limited resources while bombs fell from above. Some were aware that their loved ones had perished in the Hamas assault, while others were left to wonder about their fate. Adva Adar, whose 85-year-old grandmother Yafa was part of the initial hostage exchange, shared that her family had been advised to allow Yafa to share only what she felt comfortable disclosing, without pressuring her with too many questions.
Adva said her grandmother had lost weight during the ordeal, and other hostages have revealed that little food was available for those in captivity.
Rice and bread
Keren Munder, her mother, and her 9-year-old son, who were recently released from captivity, endured days of limited food, surviving mainly on pita bread, according to her cousin, Merav Mor Raviv. As a result, both Munder and her mother lost between six and eight kilograms due to the lack of regular nutrition. Mor Raviv explained, "They were eating, but not regularly."
She added that in captivity, their diet consisted mainly of rice and bread. Since the Israeli military's strikes and ground offensive in Gaza, the Strip has been facing a humanitarian crisis. The primary focus for most people in the area has been finding shelter, escaping the violence, and securing access to food and water.
Over the first three days of the truce, Hamas released a total of 58 hostages, primarily women and children, and Israel freed 117 Palestinian prisoners.
A Red Cross convoy carrying Israeli and foreign hostages heads to Egypt from the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Fatima Shbair/AP
Roongarun Wichanguen, the sister of recently released Thai hostage Vetoon Phoome, stated on Saturday that her brother appeared to be in good health following his release by Hamas as part of a separate agreement. "He looked very happy and appeared to be well. He told us that he was not mistreated or attacked, and was provided with good meals," she reported in a video interview. "He was taken care of very well. It seems like he was kept in a house, not a tunnel," she added.
Several hostages have been hospitalized with severe injuries or medical issues, including eighty-four-year-old Alma Avraham, one of the Israeli captives recently released from Gaza. She is currently receiving intensive care at Soroka Medical Center in Israel.
Escape attempt thwarted
Dr. Shlomi Codish, chief executive of Soroka Medical Center, stated in a video released on Sunday that the patient is in critical condition and is receiving treatment in the emergency department. The patient had suffered significant medical neglect while being held by Hamas for the past few weeks, resulting in her current unstable condition and life-threatening risks.
Yelena Magid, the aunt of recently freed Russian-Israeli hostage Roni Kriboy, shared details of her nephew's harrowing experience in Gaza during an interview with Israeli radio station Kan Reshet B on Monday. Kriboy, who was the first adult Israeli male taken captive on October 7, was released by Hamas separately from the hostages-for-detainees deal between Israel and Hamas. According to Magid, Kriboy, 25, recounted how he had been held in a building that collapsed during a bombing, managing to escape. However, after a few days in hiding, he was apprehended and returned to Hamas captivity.
Israeli security personnel are positioned next to ambulances, which are on standby at the helipad of Tel Aviv's Schneider medical centre on November 24, 2023. They are making preparations for the release of Israeli hostages who are being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images
Who are the hostages released so far in the Israel-Hamas deal?
"He attempted to reach the border. I believe it was due to his lack of understanding of his location and where to escape to, which likely caused him to become disoriented in the area. He was on his own for four days," Magid informed the radio station.
Kriboy had a head injury in the building collapse, but his aunt stated that he is now recovering well.
During their time in captivity, some hostages became aware that their loved ones had been killed on October 7th. Omri Almog, the brother of an Israeli hostage who was released on Sunday with two of her children, spoke on Monday about how his sister had learned of her husband and daughter's deaths.
"I am thrilled to share that my sister Chen Goldstein-Almog and her three children, Agam, Gal, and Tal, have returned to us and are doing well," Almog said in a brief video released by the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum.
"They were aware all along that Nadav and Yam were killed in the house...they were taken to Gaza as hostages, kidnapped with this intention," he added. Chen Goldstein-Almog's daughter Yam was 20 years old when she was killed, and her husband Nadav was 48.
More than 40 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on October 7 are not currently being held by Hamas, the group responsible for the attack, according to a diplomatic source briefed on the negotiations. This presents a complication in potentially extending the truce, as the agreement requires Hamas to hand over the hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel. Therefore, Hamas must have the hostages in their possession to fulfill the agreement.
According to CNN, around 40 to 50 hostages were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other groups or individuals. This was before the release of hostages started on Friday.
Reporting contributed by CNN's Richard Greene, Radina Gigova, Michael Rosenblatt, Alex Stambaugh, and Becky Anderson.
