The hostages recently freed from Hamas custody have shared harrowing accounts of the extreme abuse they endured, including severe malnutrition, mental torment, and cruel confinement in cages. Families of those released on Shabbos spoke of the immense physical and emotional damage their loved ones suffered.
One of the freed individuals, Keith Siegel, lost a considerable amount of weight due to extreme food deprivation. His family recounted to N12 News that he was never fed on a regular basis, leaving him often famished. A lifelong vegetarian, he was forced to eat meat for survival. In a rare moment of hope, Siegel heard through a smuggled radio broadcast that his son had survived the October 7 attack.
Ofer Kalderon, another person released, also managed to hear radio broadcasts while held captive. According to N12 News, two weeks before his release, he saw his uncle on Gazan television, but he didn’t learn that his own son was alive until just before he was freed and brought back to Israel.
The accounts of the hostages paint a devastating picture of their time in captivity. N12 News reported that some were locked in cages, while others were forced to perform various tasks. They were allowed outside only once a day to eat with the other captives. Many were forced to wear traditional galabiyas, and instead of showers, they were given cloths soaked in cold water to wipe their bodies. Some hostages lost more than 30 pounds because of starvation.
Several of the hostages required sedatives to cope with the severe psychological trauma. Many described reaching a breaking point, with some losing all hope of survival.
In the days leading up to their release, Hamas reportedly increased the food portions given to the hostages, likely to make them appear healthier when handed over to Israeli authorities, according to Kan News.
Simultaneously, the hostages were subjected to further psychological abuse, including being coerced into signing documents thanking their captors. Kan News also reported that Hamas filmed these forced statements, as well as staged videos in which hostages were instructed to speak to their families. In some instances, hostages were even forced to record farewell messages, uncertain of whether they would be executed or freed.
Additional details have emerged about how Hamas moved hostages between various locations, both above and below ground, in an effort to evade Israeli forces. The hostages freed over the weekend—Siegel, Yarden Bibas, and Kalderon—survived a grueling 484 days in captivity, enduring conditions that medical experts warn will leave long-lasting physical and psychological scars.
{Matzav.com Israel}