482 Days in Captivity: Survival Stories of Those Who Returned from Hamas's Clutches
Now that the hostages are safe and sound in Israel with their families, their stories under Hamas captivity can be told - and they're not pretty.



Hours after the return of Arbel Yahud, Agam Berger, and Gadi Moses, new details are emerging tonight (Thursday) about their time in captivity. Reports reveal that the female lookouts were careful not to eat leavened bread during Passover and tried to fast on Yom Kippur. They stayed with families for whom they cooked, cleaned, and cared for children - but were not given any of the food they prepared. Arbel Yahud was alone throughout the entire period and didn't know about the scale of devastation in Nir Oz. Here are the details:
Hours after Arbel Yahud, Agam Berger, and Gadi Moses returned, new details about their captivity are emerging tonight (Thursday).
Arbel was unaware of the extent of damage in Nir Oz, where one in four people was either kidnapped or murdered on the day of the massacre. According to Itai Blumenthal's report on Kan 11, Arbel was held alone throughout her captivity and describes harsh conditions with very little food, mostly underground. She suffers from malnutrition. The terrorists' treatment of her was cruel. The first thing she said to those who met her was: "I was mostly alone."
Arbel had very limited exposure to media and learned in captivity that her brother Dolev was murdered. She is mainly asking now about her friends in Kibbutz Nir Oz and about her partner Ariel Kunio, who is still in captivity. Arbel said she knew before being kidnapped that the terrorist organizations in Gaza were cruel and evil, and said that "what we saw today in the parade among armed terrorists is only a tenth of their evil."
Arbel met an Israeli for the first time this morning, hours before her release. She and Gadi Moses, both kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of the massacre, were reunited. The terrorists woke Arbel and Gadi at 5:30 AM, hours before the release, and made them wait for a long time, initially separately, as part of the terrorists' cruelty. They were later brought together to be filmed.
Gadi, like other hostages, told his children that he saw his relatives being interviewed on various TV channels, including clips shown on Al Jazeera, as reported by Ynet. Gadi said that what kept him alive was knowing he would rebuild the kibbutz and community. He said he didn't break down or cry in captivity and just waited for the moment of his release. He believed it would happen, according to a report on Kan 11.
Meanwhile, with Agam's return - the last lookout from the Nahal Oz post who remained in captivity - new details are emerging about the female lookouts' captivity. They were both above and below ground and stayed with families for whom they cooked, cleaned, and cared for children. According to Yolan Cohen's report on Channel 12, Agam and Liri were required to cook for their captors without receiving any of the food they prepared. They were also subjected to emotional abuse as they were forbidden from holding hands and supporting each other.
It is now revealed that the lookouts were careful not to eat leavened bread during Passover and tried to fast on Yom Kippur. Agam, as known, also observed Shabbat during her captivity.
According to testimonies, Agam kept Shabbat during her captivity and also abstained from eating meat - which was non-kosher, of course. According to the report in Israel Hayom, Agam's mother, who also sanctified God's name, said that her daughter's friend, Liri Albag, who was released last Saturday, told her about her great care to maintain kashrut during the long captivity.
Additionally, Agam Berger punctured her parents' phone number on a plastic cup so that Agam Goldstein, who was released in the previous deal, could contact them.
For a long time, Agam was with Liri Albag. According to Yolan Cohen's report, Agam and Liri insisted on staying above ground and not going down to the tunnels. Last Saturday, when some of the lookouts were released, Liri refused to leave Agam and asked the murderers to stay with her. The cursed terrorists told Liri they were taking her "to film a video" - but then she discovered they had lied to her and she was being released while Agam remained.
In the last week, since her friends Liri, Daniela, Naama, and Karina were released from captivity on Saturday, Agam Berger remained alone. She had limited exposure to media coverage of her friends' release. She said it was a very difficult period for her, but knowing she would soon return home gave her strength.