Former Israeli Hostage Shares Experience of Hamas Captivity

A former Israeli hostage, who spent over 500 days in captivity under Hamas, revealed that some of the captors had once led ordinary lives before becoming involved in terrorism.

In an interview ahead of the October 13 release of remaining hostages, Tal Shoham spoke openly with reporters in southern Israel, sharing both his impressions of his captors and the horrific treatment endured during his captivity.

He pointed out that among the guards were individuals like a first-grade teacher, a university lecturer, and even a doctor, highlighting how these ordinary people became involved in such violence. “These are ordinary people turned terrorists,” he said.

Shoham emphasized that most of the captors were not soldiers. Interestingly, he mentioned that even though they inflicted torture and brutality, their actions didn’t always stem from religious conviction. “Some were religious, but others acted out of a common mindset. They showed sadistic tendencies not only towards Israelis but also towards other Gazans,” he remarked during a discussion at Kibbutz Beli.

He recounted a particularly brutal incident where a guard shot a Gazan man in the knee, which led to the man’s death later on, as medical personnel deemed him “deserved to die.”

Shoham, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Beli on October 7, 2023, along with his wife and children, detailed his experience of starvation while held in tunnels, surviving on just 200 to 300 calories a day. He noted that Hamas members boasted about stealing humanitarian aid that should have been provided to the captives. “I saw with my own eyes that they stole box after box of humanitarian aid,” he said, expressing disbelief that they wouldn’t share it with the hostages.

Having been released in November 2023 after negotiations involving Qatar and Egypt, he reflected on how the ordeal forced him to focus inward, prioritizing thoughts of family and friends. The news of his family’s release on his 50th day in captivity gave him significant strength during that time. “I am incredibly grateful for life, and my faith has deepened,” he noted, expressing a renewed spiritual outlook post-captivity.

The release of the last remaining hostages, coinciding with a significant peace deal, was celebrated, although the return of deceased servicemen’s bodies has been contested, as Hamas cites difficulties in retrieval from rubble and tunnels.