Each day, from 5 a.m. until midnight, the captors holding Israeli hostage Tal Shoham used an electric demolition hammer to dig deeper into Gaza’s soft clay, as Shoham revealed during a recent ABC interview. Shoham, who was released last month during the initial phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, explained that the tunnel-digging teams worked in shifts lasting nine hours each. Following Hamas’ surprise assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, the terrorist group survived Israel’s intense airstrikes by expanding its elaborate tunnel network under Gaza, a system Israeli officials call “the Metro.”
For over 200 days, Shoham, along with three other hostages, was confined to a 120-square-foot tunnel shaft, nearly half of the 505 days he spent in captivity under Hamas. He recalled being guided through a two-and-a-half-hour walk through this vast underground network, which Hamas claimed connected northern and southern Gaza. Shoham was amazed by the tunnels’ scale, and his captors told him it was possible to walk for five days straight from Gaza City in the north to Rafah in the south, with new branches being dug every day. Hamas took great pride in the extent of this tunnel system.
Around the 300th day of his captivity, Shoham, disguised as a local man from Gaza, was escorted through the streets to an ambulance, which transported him into the tunnels. Blindfolded, he was taken deeper underground, where his captors showed him a massive improvised explosive device meant to collapse the tunnel if Israel launched an assault.
As he descended further, the air grew thick—damp, suffocating, and thin. Shoham had been told he was being taken to see a doctor, but instead, he found himself in a narrow, 50-foot-long tunnel 60 feet underground, along with three other hostages. The four men lived in these cramped conditions for nearly a year, lying head-to-toe, using the tunnel for basic bodily needs, and dealing with injuries from the beatings they endured. They were given a deck of cards, but the tunnel was so narrow that only two people could play at a time. Shoham spent a month adjusting to the lack of oxygen and the tight, claustrophobic space. The smell of food from the air-conditioned guards’ room would waft into their tiny quarters, intensifying their suffering. Desperation set in, and thoughts of suicide were discussed, but their captors installed cameras to monitor them, and the hostages were given only one set of plastic utensils, which they never washed with water.
Shoham had been abducted with his family from the kibbutz of Be’eri in southern Israel, before 20 of their neighbors and friends were murdered. During the first six weeks of captivity, he grappled with agonizing thoughts about their fate, imagining various worst-case scenarios: his wife dead with the children still alive, or vice versa, or, most heartbreakingly, just his wife surviving. To cope, Shoham mentally buried his family, picturing a grave with their bodies and giving each one a farewell speech, allowing himself to let go in case they were truly gone.
Days later, Shoham learned that his family had been taken hostage as well, and after a temporary ceasefire in November 2023, they were among 50 hostages, mostly women and children, who were released.
After Shoham had been held for 30 days, he was joined by fellow captives Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Evyatar David, and Omer Wenkert, all of whom were eventually brought to the tunnel. Shoham’s health deteriorated, suffering from a mouth infection followed by swelling, pain, and an inability to walk. The captors brought in a medic, but the diagnosis was uncertain, and Shoham was treated with antibiotics. It wasn’t until after his release that doctors confirmed he had advanced scurvy, a condition previously common among sailors before the 18th century due to a lack of Vitamin C.
By the time Shoham was released, he had lost nearly 70 pounds, dropping from 179 to 110 pounds. The hostages carefully rationed their food, dividing the rice grains to ensure fairness. Shoham revealed that Hamas intentionally starved them, hoping to elicit emotional reactions from the Israeli public upon their release, which would pressure the Israeli government to negotiate. This strategy backfired. Following the release of hostage Eli Sharabi in February 2025, public outcry led to an increase in the hostages’ food rations. Shoham weighed 124 pounds when he was finally freed by the Red Cross and returned to Israel.
Shoham also described how the foreman would beat the hostages with a crowbar, including one instance when he injured Wenkert’s head. The captors then demanded that the hostages massage the foreman, revealing a sadistic side to their tormentors.
The ceasefire reached in January between Hamas and Israel led to the first phase of hostage releases, including 25 living hostages and the bodies of eight deceased ones. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were also released, but talks for the second phase have stalled. This next phase would involve an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the release of the remaining 59 Israeli hostages, and the cessation of military operations.
{Matzav.com}The post Released Hostage: ‘Hamas Could Walk For Five Days In The Tunnels They Have Left’ first appeared on Matzav.com.