Severe abuse
Released Israeli hostages report their ordeal
The latest hostages released by Hamas report torture. The statements correspond to those of previous abductees who suffered the ordeal.
On Monday, the terrorist organization Hamas released the last 20 hostages who survived. After 738 days in detention, they were welcomed by their families and loved ones. The pictures of the first reunion at a border base show happiness and intense emotions that only arise in such extraordinary moments.
They are the opposite of the horror that those kidnapped on October 7, 2023 experienced in two years. The accounts that have leaked in Israeli media so far are similar to those of other hostages. They reveal a wide range of torture methods used by Hamas henchmen, who tormented their victims physically and psychologically.
Avinatan Or loses 40 percent of its weight
If the Hamas people believed they were dealing with IDF soldiers, the torture was more brutal. This is important to note because the last remaining hostages alive were all believed by their captors to be members of the Israeli army. This led to harsher conditions in captivity. In stark contrast, there were moments of coexistence with the guards and small human gestures. One hostage reported that she cooked for the kidnappers and that they played cards together to pass the time.
Such moments were probably rare. torture and fear, however, were commonplace.
Avinatan Or, 32 years old, tells us about it. The images of his kidnapping went around the world two years ago. Or was at the Nova festival with his girlfriend when it was attacked by the terrorists. A video showed how he and his girlfriend were brutally torn apart – the heartbreaking reunion took place on Monday.
Or only found out that his girlfriend Noa survived and was freed by the Israeli army in June 2024 when he was released. He spent the past two years in absolute isolation, as members of the Israeli media reported. He was systematically starved and lost 40 percent of his body weight.
The German-Israeli brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, who were also released on Monday, were separated and cut off from the outside world during captivity. They reported that periods of sufficient food alternated with months of starvation. Both of them kept hearing how the Israeli army was operating nearby.
Guns held to their heads
Tears and jubilation in Israel: A country breathes a sigh of relief
After 738 days of captivity, all hostages held by the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip have returned. In return, 250 Palestinian prisoners will be released
© Urman/Sipa / Action Press
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The kidnappers are said to be particularly brutal with Matan Angerest have been dealt with. He had suffered “very severe torture” because he was kidnapped as a soldier, his mother Anat Angerest told the TV station Channel 12. He had said little so far, she said. He remembers the heavy bombing by the Israeli army, the planes flying overhead, the walls collapsing next to them, and how he often found himself surrounded by dust and rubble, trying to free himself from the rubble.
An unnamed hostage reported having guns held to their heads and being threatened if they did not cooperate.
The current reports are similar to statements made by hostages who were released in February. They too had told of torture. During interrogations, hostages were choked and tied with a gag that almost caused them to suffocate. The kidnappers hung her by her feet and burned her skin with a heated object. During periods of starvation, they received pita bread every few days, which they had to share with other prisoners.
Medical care was refused or was carried out sloppily. Some were permanently chained or were in tunnels that were so narrow and low that they could not stand. They were psychologically tortured in which the guards told them that they would soon be released.
The hostages have regained their freedom, but the memories of the merciless cruelty of the kidnappers will remain in their minds for a long time.
Sources: DPA, “Times of Israel“, “Haaretz“
