Recently released Israeli hostages recount their experiences of being held by Hamas

In captivity, hostages endured conditions of extreme hardship under Hamas. Approximately 240 individuals, ranging from infants to the elderly, were taken during Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7. While some have been released, many are still unaccounted for, believed to be held by Hamas and other factions in Gaza as hostilities continue.

Humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross haven’t been granted access to the hostages, leaving families and the public to rely on accounts from those who have been freed for information about the conditions and wellbeing of those still detained.

Freed hostages have shared harrowing details with their families, caregivers, and occasionally reporters. The majority of those released are women, children, and foreign workers, as per the terms of the Israel-Hamas agreement. To date, only one adult Israeli man, also a Russian citizen, has been freed, with no Israeli military personnel released. Hostages are reportedly scattered across various locations and held by different groups, experiencing varied treatment.

Adina Moshe, a woman taken from her home in Israel to Gaza, was forced into underground tunnels, as recounted by her nephew, Eyal Nouri. She endured hours of marching in the tunnels’ mud, with limited light and air. According to Nouri, Moshe was kept in a room where the lights were on for only two hours a day, leaving her in near-total darkness and isolation from the outside world.

The silence and lack of information intensified the hostages’ anxiety and imagination, as they could only hear the constant bombardment above until just before their release.

Yocheved Lifshitz, an 85-year-old grandmother, was another hostage released early in the conflict. Her experiences corroborate Moshe’s account, emphasizing the extensive tunnel network beneath Gaza’s populated areas used for holding captives.