Four Israelis—Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, and Eliya Cohen—were released from Hamas captivity today after enduring more than 500 days of brutal treatment. During their time in Gaza, they were chained in dark, cramped spaces, starved, and subjected to severe psychological abuse, as they and their families shared upon their return.
Two other hostages, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, both of whom suffer from mental illness and voluntarily entered Gaza nearly a decade ago, were also freed today. However, their return showed the psychological scars from their long captivity, with family members describing them as largely unresponsive.
The terror group displayed five of the six released hostages during staged propaganda ceremonies held at two locations in Gaza, before transferring them to the Red Cross. Al-Sayed was released separately to the humanitarian organization later that day, without any ceremony.
These six hostages are the last to be freed in the first phase of a three-part hostage-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began after a fifteen-month-long war following Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The attack killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 individuals. Four more hostages, believed to be deceased, are set for release on Thursday.
In a shocking display of Hamas’ cruelty, the terror group brought two hostages still in captivity to witness one of the release ceremonies today.
A video released by Hamas shows Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal inside a vehicle at the stage area set up for the release of three hostages in Gaza’s Nuseirat region. In the footage, they can be heard calling on Israeli officials to ensure their release as they watched Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Wenkert being freed after 505 days in captivity. This marks the first public sign of life from David since his abduction on October 7, 2023, and the first from Gilboa-Dalal since June 2024.
David’s sister, Yeela, responded to the disturbing video, calling Hamas “monsters” in an Instagram post: “They are alive. [Hamas] put both of them this morning in the most horrifying and evil situation they could be. There is no limit to the messed-up cynicism of these monsters. I admire you, my brothers.”
Both David and Gilboa-Dalal are expected to be released in the second, still-unfinalized phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Omer Shem Tov, who was abducted during the cross-border attack at the Nova music festival, was held alone in a tunnel for most of his more than 16 months in captivity, his father told the Kan public broadcaster. “For the first 50 days he was with Itay Regev, and all the rest, on his own,” said Malki Shem Tov, Omer’s father. Regev, who had been kidnapped with Omer, was released in November 2023 during a prior ceasefire agreement.
Malki Shem Tov said his son “didn’t see daylight at all.” Despite this, he added, Omer returned as the same person he was before being taken: “Omer the funny, Omer the optimist—just 16-17 kilos (35-37 lbs) less.”
The father also addressed the footage of his son kissing a Hamas gunman on the forehead during the release ceremony. “Omer told us that they compelled him to wave and to kiss that guard who was standing next to him. He said they told him what to do. You can see in the footage that someone came up to him and told him what to do,” his father explained.
Omer Shem Tov had very little exposure to media during his captivity, Kan reported, but he was aware of the public protests calling for the release of the hostages. He said, “It strengthened me, and gave me hope that in the end I’d be freed.” Channel 12 further reported that during his captivity, Omer was initially held in apartments before being moved to tunnels, and was forced to dress as a Muslim woman when being transported by his captors. He was once lowered into a tunnel in a small bucket, with his hands bound and subjected to physical abuse.
Despite this, Omer found strength in seeing reports of protests for his release. However, he was alarmed when he saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on television discussing the need to destroy Hamas without mentioning the hostages. This caused him significant concern, according to Channel 12.
When he was finally freed, Omer was airlifted to a hospital, where he wrote on a whiteboard, “Now everything is OK! Thank you to the dear people of Israel, and to all the soldiers!” He added, “I want a hamburger.”
Eliya Cohen was held alone for part of his captivity but spent much of it alongside Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Alon Ohel. He told his family that they were chained by both their hands and feet, causing open cuts, and were physically abused by their captors. For most of their captivity, they were kept in a pitch-black tunnel, occasionally receiving brief exposure to light. They were not allowed to walk for months, and their captors ate in front of them while denying them food, as reported.
Cohen, who was also abducted from the Nova festival, was shot in the leg on October 7 and received no proper medical care. In the days leading up to his release, he was allowed to step outside for some sunlight, Kan reported.
Cohen only learned on his release that his fiancée, Ziv Abud, survived the massacre, but he also learned that his best friend had been killed that day.
Omer Wenkert, who had lost 30 kilograms (66 lbs) during his captivity, suffered from Colitis and was deprived of the medication he needed. He also expressed that he had lost friends during his ordeal, but managed to hold onto some signs of life. Wenkert was badly beaten when he was abducted from the Nova festival and had no exposure to media during his captivity. He only learned today that his good friend, Kim Demati, who had been with him at the festival, was murdered by the terrorists.
Wenkert had no knowledge of the demonstrations demanding the release of the hostages, but upon his return, he expressed a desire to join the campaign.
Wenkert and Shoham were held together for about eight months, according to their families. They were also held with other hostages, Channel 12 reported.
Shoham, who had limited exposure to media, did not know that his wife, Adi, and their children, Yahel (3) and Naveh (8), had also been taken hostage, though they had been released on November 25, 2023, during a previous truce. His mother-in-law, Shoshan Haran, his wife’s aunt, Sharon Avigdori, and her daughter Noam (12) were also taken hostage and released the same day.
The two men were held in humid tunnels where the seasons felt the same, and their captors fattened them before their release to improve their appearance.
Wenkert’s first request upon his release was for a cigarette, saying, “I’ve waited 500 days for this cigarette.”
Both Wenkert and Shoham have expressed that they feel like brothers and have developed a lasting bond, Channel 12 reported.
One of the hostages released today confirmed that he had been held with Guy Gilboa-Dalal, whose status had been unknown since his abduction during the October 7 attack. Gilboa-Dalal was later seen in the Hamas video during the release ceremony.
“Now we know that Guy is alive, [he and other hostages] are being held in very difficult conditions, and we have to get him out of there, as soon as possible,” his father, Ilan, told Channel 12.
The family has not received details about Guy’s condition or with whom he is being held but is expecting to learn more soon. “We don’t know anything at the moment,” his father said.
Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, both of whom were taken hostage nearly a decade ago, were also released today. Mengistu, who entered Gaza in September 2014, had not been heard from until a Hamas video showed him alive in early 2023. He spent 3,821 days in captivity. Although he appeared physically able at the release ceremony, his family described his condition as “not good,” reporting that he was nearly unresponsive.
Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to Mengistu on the phone after his release, offering a “warm and moving conversation,” and thanking the family for their perseverance in fighting for his return.
Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Israeli, was released in a better physical condition than expected, following a disturbing 2022 video showing him sick and hooked to an oxygen tank. He had been held in captivity since 2015.
Unlike the other hostages, Hamas did not stage a propaganda ceremony for al-Sayed’s release, citing “respect for the Arabs of Israel.” His family described him as emotionally and cognitively “destroyed,” and his father expressed shock at the cruelty of his captivity.
Netanyahu also spoke with Sha’ban al-Sayed, Hisham’s father, hours after his release, promising to continue working tirelessly to care for his son’s rehabilitation.
{Matzav.com Israel}