Former Hamas hostages broke the silence by describing their detention conditions and calling for the release of more hostages.
Former hostages in the Gaza Strip spoke out publicly for the first time this Saturday, December 2, calling on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of people still trapped in the hands of the Islamist movement Hamas in Palestinian territory being held.
The hostages, some of whom were released as part of the seven-day ceasefire that expired on Friday, spoke in a video broadcast to thousands of people at a rally in Tel Aviv.
Fear and hunger
In brief interviews, four women spoke about their fear, hunger and lack of sleep during their captivity after they were kidnapped during the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7 that sparked the war.
“Our daughters have seen things that children of this age or any age should not see,” said Danielle Aloni, 45, who was released Nov. 24 with her 5-year-old daughter.
“There wasn’t much food, and as time went on it became less and less,” said Ditza Heiman, 84, who was released Tuesday.
The released hostages called on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to take all necessary measures to ensure the release of the hostages.
Bringing the hostages back, a “moral obligation”
“The moral obligation of this government is to bring them home immediately and without hesitation,” said Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, who was released in October.
The broadcast of these testimonies comes the day after the end of the seven-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which allowed for the release of 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
Israeli bombings resumed on Friday in the Gaza Strip, from where Hamas rockets were fired at Israeli soil.
“We have to bring back my Sasha and the rest,” Elena Trupanov, a hostage released on Wednesday, said during the rally in Tel Aviv, referring to her son who is still held hostage.
After the Israeli army confirmed the deaths of five hostages on Friday, families want to put even more pressure on the authorities to secure the release of their relatives.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Saturday that 137 Israelis and foreigners were still trapped in Palestinian territory, which Israel is under a “complete siege” after 16 years of blockade and where the need for humanitarian assistance is immense.