All of the surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas are now with their families in Israel. More details are emerging about how they were treated and how they endured the physical and mental abuse.
In Israel, emotions are currently mixed. The bodies of 28 murdered hostages have yet to be returned to the country. At the same time, many are happy that another 20 living hostages were returned after two years in captivity. Their first accounts of their time in Hamas captivity are harrowing. Since the hostages returned to Israel, local media have been continuously airing interviews with their relatives, who tell what they went through.
Without light and air
Some say they were held in Hamas' underground tunnels for a long time without access to sunlight and fresh air. Others say they were beaten and harassed, sometimes not given enough food. Still others say they played cards with their captors, despite the horrific conditions in which they were held.
According to Israeli media, twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Azza on October 7, 2023, were held in different places and did not see each other again until the day they were released. They were completely cut off from the world, while other hostages, for example, knew that there were protests in Israel demanding their release.
Beated so badly that he lost consciousness
One of the most active in these protests was Anat Angrest, the mother of hostage Matan Angrest. She tirelessly urged the authorities to ensure that her son returned home. Matan Angrest is one of the hostages who was held in extremely harsh conditions, probably because he is a soldier in the Israeli army. “Matan had severe burns all over his right arm. He has scars on his fingers and other injuries, including vision impairment. "He says he was tortured, at least for the first five months," his mother, Anat, told Israel's Channel 12.
"He remembers being sexually assaulted during his captivity," his mother said. "He remembers being beaten so badly that he would lose consciousness. He went through a lot of suffering." Her son also said he was held mostly in the tunnels, and Israeli attacks nearby have caused the tunnel to collapse on several occasions.
The hostages have been moved around Gaza multiple times
Omri Miran, a 48-year-old father of two, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His father, Danny Miran, told the media that Omri played cards with his captors. "He did it all morning until it was time for their prayer. He waited all day until it was time to play cards, that kept him going," says Danny Miran.
Omri's brother says the man was held more than 20 times in different places in the Gaza Strip in extremely dangerous conditions and during heavy bombardments by the Israeli air force.
According to local authorities in Gaza, 67,000 Palestinians were killed in the war, most of them civilians. It is also believed that thousands more are buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings. International organizations consider these estimates to be reliable.
Two years in a tunnel
Avinat Or's father says his son was held in the tunnels almost the entire time. “He was in a tunnel for two years. After he tried to escape, he was beaten and locked in a kind of cage, the walls of which were tied to him. It is a miracle that he has retained his mental health,” Yaron Or told Israel’s KAN radio.
After October 7, Hamas released footage showing Avinatan Or and his girlfriend Noa Argamani being kidnapped from the Nova music festival. Argamani was freed in a special operation by the Israeli army in June 2024.
Some hostages said that the conditions in which they were being held had changed in recent weeks, apparently as a reflection of the ceasefire negotiations. Hostages who were released under previous agreements also reported similar developments - depending on the political situation, the conditions in which they were held either improved or worsened.
All 20 freed hostages are now in hospitals in Tel Aviv and elsewhere in Israel. They face a long road to recovery.