Israel Hamas hostages recount gruesome details of their captivity
Following the release of three more Israeli hostages of the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, shocking details have emerged about the circumstances of their captivity.
10.02.2025, 12:43
SDA
The brother of Or Levy reported that the 34-year-old had been "hungry, barefoot and in constant fear" for 16 months. Levy was released on Saturday together with two other men as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. The pictures of the emaciated, weak hostages caused horror in Israel.
Israeli media reported that one of the men had been chained up and had spent almost the entire time in a dark tunnel. He was unable to stand up straight or walk.
Levy only learned of his wife's death in the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023 after his release. At a moving reunion, Levy was able to embrace his surviving three-year-old son. Hostage Eli Sharabi also did not know that he had lost his wife, daughters and brother.
The medical professor responsible for the hostages, Hagai Levine, spoke of the "brutal, inhumane conditions" under which the hostages were held by Hamas. He warned that the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip were in "imminent mortal danger" and called for their immediate release.
The examinations of the freed hostages had produced alarming results. Some of them were suffering from extreme malnutrition and multiple organ damage. While held hostage, they had experienced "extremely poor hygiene, lack of fresh air and sunlight" as well as extreme physical and psychological abuse by the kidnappers, Levine said. He warned of serious long-term physical and psychological consequences.
