Details are starting to emerge about what it’s like to be held captive by Hamas in the tunnels underneath Gaza as newly released hostages are telling their stories to relatives. Although most of the freed hostages are currently in private medical facilities in Israeli hospitals and have not spoken to the media, information about their condition has been slowly seeping out.
As we reported, a third group of hostages, this one numbering 17, was released Sunday by Hamas, while Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
They’ve been completely shut off from reality, family members say, and have had no idea what’s been going on in the last roughly 50 days, or that flyers with their faces have been tacked up around the world. Although they’d been fed, they were not fed well, and some have seen significant weight loss.
Relatives who have spoken or met with some of the released hostages said all seemed to have spent their weeks in captivity totally cut off from the outside world, and to have returned thinner than before.
“They were eating, but not regularly and not all of the time,” said Merav Mor Raviv, a cousin of Keren Munder, 54, who was released on Friday along with her son, Ohad Munder-Zichri, 9, and her mother, Ruth Munder, 78. “They ate a lot of rice and bread,” Ms. Raviv said, adding that Keren told her that both she and her mother had lost about 6 to 8 kilograms, or 13 to 18 pounds.
Ms. Raviv also said their sleeping conditions were far from ideal—they slept in a reception room on “beds” made by pushing three chairs together. When they needed to go to the bathroom, they would have to knock on a door and wait—sometimes for up to two hours.
In a particularly cruel twist, 78-year-old Ruth Munder did not know while underground that her son had been killed during the October 7 Hamas terror attacks. She did receive some good news, though: her husband, whom she had assumed had been killed, did survive—although he’s still a captive.
Upon their release, an emotional Keren Munder—Ruth's daughter—pleaded to know about the whereabouts of her father:
Keren Munder, released yesterday by Hamas, asks" "Is my father there? Is my father there?" She learns that her father is not murdered, but rather a hostage of Hamas in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/mvuISYriQD
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) November 25, 2023
Some have been trying to pretend that the hostages were grateful for their treatment by the terrorists, but their eyes suggest otherwise:
Every time I see this clip, tears fill my eyes. Watch Keren Munder as a terrorist puts his arm around her only son, Ohad. I see a frightened mother wanting to get to and protect her son . She helped him survive this ordeal. Keren Munder is a hero.
— 🟦 Michelle Richardson 🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇦 (@MommaRich26) November 25, 2023
pic.twitter.com/KDXX3D1Dgw
In another instance, two teenagers who were released did not know that their mother had been murdered:
The uncle of two hostages who were among those freed late Saturday — Noam Or, 17, and his sister Alma, 13 — told the BBC on Sunday that they, too, were unaware until their release that their mother, Yonat Or, had been killed in the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
Freed from Hamas captivity - 13-year-old Alma Or and 17-year-old Noam Or – both were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Be'eri.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) November 25, 2023
Their mother Yonat was murdered and their father taken hostage. He has not been released. pic.twitter.com/oAPGGPHk5M
And as RedState's Susie Moore reported, four-year-old Abigail Idan was released Sunday. "Unfortunately," Moore wrote, "Abigail's parents were murdered on October 7th." These tragic stories are everywhere, despite the good news of some of the hostages' release. This mom and her babies are still presumably in the tunnels:
This mom and her 2 kids aged 10 months and 4 years-old still haven’t been released. Hamas is evil. Holding a 10-month-old baby hostage. This is what college students are defending. #StopHamas pic.twitter.com/nST8Y0f9W7
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 26, 2023
Most of the released captives appeared to be in decent shape, but not all:
Many of the freed hostages appeared to be in good physical condition, able to walk and speak normally, but at least two needed more serious medical care. One hostage released Sunday, 84-year-old Alma Abraham, was rushed to Israel's Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba in life-threatening condition.
The hospital's director said she had a pre-existing condition that had not been treated properly in captivity. Another young female hostage was on crutches in a video Hamas released Saturday.
Of course, several hostages have been killed, and there are still hundreds more in captivity, conditions unknown—they could be in far worse shape. Hamas is devious enough to know that releasing only those in good condition will earn them support; they're not about to release those they've raped, abused and tortured.
In addition, the physical status of the released hostages doesn’t take into account the deep psychological scars they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Hamas’ cruelty is once again on full display, yet protesters still took to the streets again Sunday to support their sadistic actions, and world leaders like President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau continue to call for a ceasefire—as if that will magically put a stop to the evil ways of Hamas.
While the governmental entity/terror group continues to garner sympathy and positive press for the drip-drip of their hostage releases, hundreds more victims remain in captivity, and the over 1,200 Israelis they savagely killed will never come back.
It’s astonishing that anyone would support this madness.
Help us continue to report on stories like these and support independent journalism. Big Tech routinely censors sites like ours for telling the truth, but we have a way to get around them—our VIP program. By joining, you get exclusive content not available to non-members, as well as access to our raucous discussion boards where free speech is encouraged.
Through Monday, use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY60 to get a whopping 60% off your VIP subscription. Join now, or renew today.
Do I like hawking stuff? No, but it's for an important cause, and it's a darn good deal. Didn't see this in time? No worries, use code SAVEAMERICA, and you'll still save big.
Do not forget-->
'Don't Look Away': Israel Releases Video of Hamas Atrocities at Music Festival
Mom of Hostage Delivers Heart-Wrenching Speech at Pro-Israel Rally, Living in 'Slow-Motion Torment'
Join the conversation as a VIP Member