Former Hostage’s Account of Harrowing Experience in Gaza

The ex-Israeli hostage, who endured over 16 months in captivity with Hamas, recently shared his story in an exclusive interview, expressing his harrowing experiences as a prisoner in the Gaza tunnels. He believes that the possibility of Donald Trump’s return to power offers him a genuine glimmer of hope for survival and hints at a bounty placed on the prime minister.

This interview comes 700 days after Hamas’ attack on October 7, during which Israel is gearing up to raid Gaza if hostages remain unreturned. Recently, Trump issued what he termed a “last warning” to terrorist groups about their actions.

Shoham reflected on the moment when his wife, Adi, and their two children were captured from Kibbutzberg during an attack that resulted in over 1,200 Israeli fatalities. He remembers the armed assailants dragging him from their secured location after demolishing the door with explosives.

“They didn’t seem afraid,” he recalled about the captors who filmed him, seemingly amused. He was thrown into the trunk of a car and transported to Gaza, where he was paraded through the streets on a motorcycle while bystanders cheered and insulted him.

“They yelled that they had caught a ‘Jewish soldier’s pig,'” he noted, pointing out that being a civilian made no difference to them.

Torturous Conditions

Shoham detailed months of solitary confinement, starvation, and maltreatment as they were coerced into recording a video praising Hamas. “They wanted us to claim that Hamas treated us well,” he recounted. “But the food was scarce—sometimes just two teaspoons of cheese paired with half a pita.” He described the ritualistic cruelty from the guards, including beating the prisoners and taunting them while feasting on plentiful meals in front of them, proclaiming that no one cared about their plight.

As food supplies dwindled, he recalled how they were starved to the point where just standing up felt like a struggle. “The guards were eating while we had nothing,” he lamented.

Shoham shared that he had been disguised as a Hamas member, along with other captives, and transported in a red crescent ambulance filled with armed militants. “They blindfolded us with masks so we couldn’t see anything,” he said, adding that they quickly realized they were headed into a place of unimaginable fear—underground tunnels.

Living in Darkness

After stumbling through pitch-black corridors for about two and a half hours, he described the cramped conditions: “We were stuck in a space that was roughly three feet wide and six feet tall, with just a few mattresses on the sandy ground.” The atmosphere was oppressive, with scarce air and limited water—only half a liter per day—with showers happening infrequently, every few weeks.

“I had to choose between drinking water or just washing my hands,” he said, illustrating the dire situation. Most days were filled with relentless hunger while the guards dined on stolen provisions.

“We could smell food—they were eating well while we faced severe thirst,” he explained, noting that sometimes he had to skip meals to avoid feeling more parched.

Hamas’s Strategic Starvation

“They openly told us that they aimed to make us look like victims of starvation to pressure Israel,” he revealed. Despite their hunger, hostages were forced to proclaim that they were being treated well, a twisted facade for the cameras. “They staged situations where we were fed—just for show. The reality was much harsher.” He indicated that the psychological manipulation was a deliberate tactic to coerce a response from Israel via their suffering.

Shoham emphasized that the actions taken against them often felt life-threatening. He described instances where smoke was released into their cells, suffocating others. “We were left with no sense of time—sometimes they would turn off the lights for extended periods, plunging us into utter darkness,” he conveyed.

Propaganda as a Weapon