Hostages report spending months in tunnels without human contact

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News Jan 27th

A number of hostages who have been released report having been confined for months in underground tunnels with no human contact, an Israeli general reported on Monday.

Although many of the freed captives appeared cheerful and energetic upon their release, Eitan Gonen, father of Romi Gonen, cautioned that this was not a sign that Hamas treated the hostages well.

Eitan Gonen told Walla, “The smiles aren’t a reflection of the conditions they endured; they’re expressions of the hostages’ joy at being freed from the Nazis. If you were rescued from hell and someone extended their hand to you, wouldn’t you smile?”

Some of the hostages were held in underground tunnels with no daylight and were deprived of human contact, sometimes for as long as eight months.

“Some of them were alone the entire time. Those who were together fared better,” said Colonel Dr. Avi Banov, deputy chief of the Israeli military’s medical corps, during an online press briefing.

Under the current hostage release deal, seven women were freed in exchange for 290 Palestinian prisoners.

Many of the hostages have experienced “mild starvation” after being fed extremely meager rations of only rice or bread for over a year.

Just prior to their release, Hamas allowed them to shower and provided additional food.

According to reports, Hamas gave soon-to-be-released hostages extra food and stimulants to create the illusion that they were well-treated.

Several of the hostages suffered serious injuries sustained on October 7th and did not receive adequate medical treatment during their captivity.

Emily Damari lost three fingers after being shot in the hand on October 7th, and Daniella Gilboa has a bullet lodged in her leg, which will be surgically removed now that she has been released.

Some of the hostages were able to hear news about the war on the radio, along with messages from their families.

Eitan Gonen described the effect hearing such messages had on his daughter, Romi.

“Even if only 10% of the interviews reached the hostages’ ears, it was enough to give them strength,” he said. “It gave her a lot of strength, energy, and great hope.”