The hostages released on Saturday have revealed the details of their captivity, including Hamas’s use of interrogation and the dire conditions they were held in.
The testimonies of Sagui Dekel-Chen, Iair Horn, and Sasha Troufanov were shared with N12 and KAN.
N12 reported that Hamas wrongly insisted that some of the hostages were soldiers, using continual interrogation and torture to try to obtain intelligence from them.
The hostages were held in extremely unhealthy environments, including in tunnels and hiding places, which were full of lice, bedbugs, mold, and mildew.
They also received almost no food and drank only salt water, which was not fit for drinking.
N12 added that because many of the hostages were wounded by Hamas terrorists and did not receive proper medical treatment, they may have to undergo surgery.
Before their release, the terrorists forced the hostages to write letters of gratitude while documenting them.
Individual testimonies
Horn was held captive for a while with his brother Eitan, who remains in Hamas captivity. He spent most of his time in the Hamas tunnels but was held with other hostages, so he was able to provide Israel with signs of life from those he was held with.
Dekel-Chen was interrogated throughout his time in captivity, including through physical torture, N12 said. This has resulted in physical scars on his body. KAN added that he was shot in the right shoulder on October 7 but told IDF officers after his release to leave the wound alone as “the most important thing is for me to meet my family now.”
He was also unaware of his family’s fate, cut off from all means of communication for nearly 15 months. During the hostage release, Hamas told him that his wife had given birth to a daughter while he was in captivity, which he didn’t believe until it was confirmed by the IDF.
Troufanov was held alone throughout his time in captivity, KAN claimed. He was told by the IDF after his release that his father, Vitaly, had been murdered and burst into tears. Dekel-Chen, Horn, and Troufanov were all held in Khan Yunis in tunnels up until very recently when they were moved to apartments above ground.