Moran Stella Yanai, who was released in the November 2023 prisoner swap, shared her harrowing experience as a hostage in Gaza during an interview with Channel 12 News.
Yanai recounted how the Hamas terrorists holding her demanded a ransom from her father, threatening to murder her if the money was not paid.
"The moment I returned, after the hugs and kisses, I think that was the third question I asked. I turned to my father and said, 'Dad, was money offered for me?' And he answered, 'Yes,'" she told Channel 12.
Yanai described the tense atmosphere in the room where she and two other female hostages were held. "It was during the day, sometime in the afternoon. I was very tense due to all the noise coming from the next room. That day, I started hearing, 'Abuha, abuha,' repeatedly. I tried to listen closely and realized they were talking about 'her father.' One of the captors approached me and started asking questions about my father."
She continued, "He asked, 'Does your father love you?' and I answered, 'Of course, more than anything.' He then asked, 'And what would he give for you?' I asked him what he meant, and he replied, 'Machari, machari (money). How much money would he give for you?'"
Yanai responded, "He would give you everything." She added that the terrorists continued to press her about her father's financial situation for the rest of the day. "They asked how much he earns, what he does, where he is, where we live, what car we have. Suddenly, I started to connect the dots – what I had heard before, 'Abuha, abuha,' made me realize that they might actually be contacting our parents to demand money. I made it clear that my father would give everything for me. Anything he possibly could – he would give for me."
When Moran was released after 54 days of captivity, she learned that her father had indeed received phone calls and messages from an anonymous number in the Khan Yunis area. The messages were in Hebrew and broken English, and they included a photo of her (not taken in captivity). The captors threatened to start killing the hostages one by one if her father did not pay the ransom within an hour.
"My parents went through trauma no less than I did," Moran said. She explained that her father was willing to pay any amount, but at some point, the person on the other end hung up, and no money was transferred.