Bound, Gagged, and Beaten - Released Hostages Share Horiffic Testimonies from Hamas

These revelations, shared through interviews with the press, shed light on the terrifying and inhumane treatment the hostages suffered while trapped in the tunnels under Gaza.

Both men were subjected to severe physical torture, including suffocation, beatings, and hanging by their feet. They were bound, gagged, and burned with hot objects as interrogators demanded information. The terrorists also deliberately starved them, offering only small amounts of rotten pita bread every few days, which they had to share with other captives. They were denied water for days, and at one point, one of the captives collapsed from the effects of hunger and dehydration, leaving the others to fear he had died.

The conditions of captivity were deplorable. The hostages were confined to a small, dark room in the tunnels, unable to stand or move freely. Their breathing was restricted, and they were left in isolation for long stretches of time. Throughout the ordeal, the captives were barefoot and received little to no care or hygiene. One of them described how they were treated “like animals,” with only occasional brief moments of reprieve when the terrorists provided a little food to prepare them for their eventual release.

According to reports, the hostages also endured psychological torment. The terrorists used statements from Israeli politicians to psychologically manipulate them, and they played "games" where they simulated their release, only to keep them captive. They even heard false promises of freedom before their release, a tactic designed to maintain control and deepen their despair.

Despite these harrowing conditions, the hostages found some solace in each other’s support and prayers. Or Levi and Ohad Ben Ami recalled how their prayers and the Friday night blessings helped them hold on through the darkest times.

When the hostages were finally released, they were paraded in front of jubilant terrorists, a painful reminder of their captors' cruelty. The emotional toll was evident on their faces as they returned to Israel. For their families, the relief of their return was bittersweet, as many of them, like Eli Sharabi, learned only upon their release of the deaths of loved ones, including their wives and children.

The testimonies from these returnees serve as a grim reminder of the ongoing suffering faced by hostages still held in Gaza. The psychological and physical scars of their time in captivity are only beginning to surface, and the families who have been torn apart continue to grapple with the unimaginable pain of loss and trauma. Dr. Yael Frankel-Nir, head of Shiba General Hospital, emphasized the severity of the medical and psychological toll on the returnees, as their bodies and minds bear the lasting effects of their 491 days in captivity. The fate of those still in Gaza remains uncertain, but the stories shared by Levi, Ben Ami, and other returnees underscore the horrors that continue behind the closed doors of Hamas's tunnels.