Family fears worst for captive in Gaza amid testimony of sexual abuse

As the world celebrates International Women's Day on March 8, 14 Israeli women remain captive in Gaza. As the days go by, the families of these women fear the worst, particularly ongoing sexual abuse and torture at the hands of Hamas terrorists, who have held the women captive for nearly five months.

Agam Berger was taken hostage from Nahal Oz on October 7 and was later seen on a Hamas Telegram video being led to a car while still in her pajamas. She is one of the 14 women still being held hostage in Gaza by the terror group. Shlomi Berger, Agam’s father, spoke to The Media Line: "We are very fearful of sexual abuse.” 

He noted that women freed from captivity have stated that the kidnappers abused some of the women still being held captive and that former hostages have testified that some of the women were beaten and tortured. 

"I know from one of the freed hostages that five of the hostages were in a room together, and [Hamas] took one of the women, about 40 years old, whom they thought was an IDF officer. They suspended her from the ceiling and beat her with a stick in front of the other hostages," he said, noting that his daughter was among the women present in the room.

"My daughter is 19. She is a teenager. I cannot imagine what went through her mind when she saw this happening in front of her.”

Hostage testified Agam saw woman hung from ceiling, beaten

Berger is worried about his daughter's mental state, saying that she was abducted with five friends on October 7, while another 15 of their friends were murdered. He added, "We know that she was handcuffed and kept there [in Nahal Oz] for about two hours, sitting near the bloodied bodies of her murdered friends."

The United Nation’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten of Mauritius, reported on Monday, March 4, that she and a team of experts had found "clear and convincing information" of rape and sexualized torture having been committed against hostages seized during the October 7 terror attacks. 

Patten, in a press release issued along with her report, said that there are also reasonable grounds to believe that other “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” may be continuing against those still being held by Hamas and other extremists in the Gaza Strip.

Berger urged international organizations and foreign governments to pressure Hamas to immediately release the hostages, who are innocent of any crime, and to reunite them with their families.

He warned that every day is critical due to the deteriorating condition of the hostages and the fear that they may die without medical treatment: "People [former hostages] said that they were held for two or three days near injured hostages, who died because nobody treated them."

Pleading with international organizations to use pressure

Berger again reiterated the crucial role of international organizations. "Your pressure is important,” he pleaded. “We cannot contact Hamas. They are terrorists. But your organizations have power and can pressure them."

He described his daughter as a 19-year-old teenager who likes to play the violin: "She is young and likes to have fun. She volunteered to work with kids with special needs. She likes to travel around the country, be with her friends, and go to the beach, like any other teenager around the world." 

"If she sees something that she thinks is wrong, such as someone harassing another person, she will be there for that person. She will help. That is Agam," he adds.

Berger first learned about the kidnapping of his daughter on October 8 when he saw a Telegram video published by Hamas, which showed Agam being dragged into a military vehicle and taken into Gaza with other girls: “In that second, I thought, oh my God, she's alive. She's alive, but she's in terrorist hands, and I'm happy because she's alive."

Berger and his family received additional news about Agam on November 26, during the Israel-Hamas truce that began on November 24, after which dozens of women and children held hostage by Hamas were released.

"It was my birthday,” Berger recalls. I was sitting with my family here in our living room. Of course, we didn't celebrate because there was no time to celebrate. Around 8 or 9 pm, I received a phone call from a young woman who said, ‘Hello, Shlomi. My name is also Agam. I was with your daughter underground, and she wants to wish you a happy birthday.’"

Berger was shocked to receive the call, which was from Agam Goldstein-Almog, 17, who had just been freed from captivity in Gaza and had not even arrived at the hospital to be checked. She grabbed a phone and called him to relay a happy birthday greeting from his daughter.

"At that moment, I was very happy because we received a sign of life. She told me that Agam was okay. She didn't talk much; it was just a quick phone call," Berger states.

However, over three months have passed since that day, and the Berger family has not received any other information about Agam.

"It is not okay to kidnap and hurt civilians, children, women and to sexually and physically abuse and torture them," he states, adding, "We hope she is okay. We hope she is alive."