Parents Share Heart-Wrenching Accounts of Daughters' Ordeal in Hamas Captivity

Parents of four young women freed from Hamas captivity revealed that their daughters faced severe maltreatment, including starvation and intimidation, while being forced into labor and propaganda activities.

In a candid interview with the BBC, parents of four young Israeli women, recently released from Hamas custody, shared harrowing details of their daughters’ 15-month ordeal, marked by starvation, intimidation, and forced labor.

Orly Gilboa spoke of her daughter Daniella, who was left malnourished and under threat in the underground tunnels and makeshift shelters in Gaza. The hostages, mainly female soldiers abducted during Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, were prohibited from seeing sunlight and often moved to various undisclosed locations that alternated between severe and slightly better conditions.

“My daughter saw three male hostages released on TV last week, and she remarked that if her release happened two months prior, she would have looked just like them—thin and emaciated,” Gilboa shared. The parents noted fluctuating access to food; while some locations provided adequate meals, others left the women to fend for themselves.

Meirav Leshem Gonen, whose daughter Romi was taken from the infamous Nova music festival, also reported significant weight loss, describing how Romi had shed 20% of her body weight by the time of her release. “The most difficult part was witnessing footage suggesting my daughter was dead, where her captors made it appear bloodied and lifeless,” Gilboa lamented.

The statistics from the region reveal a grim reality: around 1,200 people were killed in the initial attack, with over 48,230 casualties recorded in Gaza since the outbreak of conflict. As hostages were exchanged, the stark difference in their physical condition was noticeable, prompting the parents to open dialogues regarding the treatment of those still in captivity.

Each family shared the small acts of resistance the women managed to hold onto, like Agam Berger's unconditional refusal to work on the Jewish Sabbath. For others, keeping diaries and drawing provided a semblance of hope. One chilling account detailed how the hostages had to endure watching brutal physical assaults on fellow captives.

As they adapt back to normal life, their families remain vigilant about the hostages still held in Gaza. “We want answers about what happened to our daughters and hope for the continued truce,” expressed Gilboa, encapsulating a collective wish for transparency and healing amid ongoing conflict.