More and more details about the immense suffering and brutal terror endured by the hostages in the Gaza Strip for over a year have emerged in recent days and weeks. Gadi Moses, 80, ate only a piece of bread and an olive twice a day during his 482 days in captivity, his niece Efrat Machikawa told media outlets. “I have no idea how he survived,” she said. “He lost so much weight.” He was not permitted to shower and was instead given a small bowl of water to wash himself every five days and had to ask to use the bathroom. He moved frequently and was held alone, with Machikawa saying “loneliness is another form of torture.” He calculated math problems in his head to distract himself, and paced up and down in his locked room, walking up to 11 kilometers (six miles), measuring the distance. Machikawa also described her uncle’s feelings on Thursday in the moments when he was surrounded by the angry Gazan crowd. “He thought it was the end for him,” she said. Released hostage Arbel Yehud was also held completely alone and was treated brutally by her captors. Kan News reported on Monday evening that the hostages received larger meals in the days leading up to their release — presumably with the aim of helping them gain a little weight – and appear healthier when they are released. Kan also reported that the terrorists forced the hostages to film videos and speak to their family members. In some cases, the captors instructed them to say goodbye to their families in the videos. One of the hostages released in recent days was quoted by Channel 12 as saying: “Hamas was constantly filming videos of us. During various periods, they moved us from place to place. We were walked down the street in a gabaliya or burqa. The men there are subjected to physical and mental abuse and they must be extracted as quickly as possible.” Some hostages were forced to bathe by using towels dipped in cold water. Other hostages took sedatives in order to survive. Ofer Calderon’s relatives told Walla that he was physically and psychologically abused in Gaza. “He was lonelier than others, not exposed at all to television or radio, and he was unaware that there was a struggle for his release,” his relatives said. “He received beatings and frightening comments. They made him understand that the world as he knows it – no longer exists.” “He knew nothing. Right now, our understanding is that he hasn’t been exposed to anything since the children left [his two children who were abducted and released in the November 2023 deal]. He only knew there were protests but asked questions as if he had never seen the news. There were relatives who fought for him and were interviewed a lot, and he asked about them, if they had even participated in the struggle. He saw nothing; he is unaware of what happened here.” “I think he doesn’t understand what the family went through during this time, what level of anxiety there was here. Until a few days ago, we didn’t know if he was alive or dead. There was only a high likelihood that he was alive,” he added. One relative said: “He talks a lot, and […]