Released hostage Omer Shem Tov was forced to disguise himself as a Muslim woman and lowered into an underground tunnel in a bucket. He was spit on, cursed, and compelled to kiss his Hamas captors in a staged ceremony.
Other hostages were shackled for months, starved, and left in complete darkness, their bodies wasting away.
According to testimonies published by Israeli media, the six freed hostages endured months of isolation, abuse, and deprivation in Hamas’s underground tunnel network.
Eliya Cohen, one of the released hostages, recounted being shackled for extended periods, suffering deep cuts from the restraints. He and his fellow captives were primarily held in sealed tunnels with limited access to light. Hamas operatives would occasionally shine flashlights into their eyes, a form of psychological manipulation.
They would also deliberately eat in front of the hostages, tormenting them with food deprivation. Cohen also learned only upon his release that his partner had survived the attack.
Hamas disguised hostages as Muslim women
Shem Tov described being forced to disguise himself as a Muslim woman when being moved between locations. At one point, he was lowered into a tunnel in a bucket. He recalled being spit on and cursed by his captors.
Although he lost 17 kilograms during captivity, he remained committed to his Jewish faith and performed kiddush despite the near total lack of resources. Hamas terrorists also forced him to kiss them as part of a humiliating ritual. According to KAN News, his father, Malachi Shem Tov, revealed that Hamas fighters forced his son to wave and kiss one of the guards during a “ceremony” staged by the terror group.
Channel 13 News further reported that upon his release, Shem Tov wrote on a board while being transported in a helicopter: “I want a hamburger,” a moment his family described as a symbol of his resilience and return to normalcy.
Life in the tunnels: months of darkness and starvation
Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, and Omer Wenkert were
held together for the last eight months in the tunnels. The conditions were unbearable: high humidity, extreme weight loss, and being completely disconnected from the outside world.
The three described an environment where time lost all meaning; the absence of seasons made it impossible to gauge how long they had been in captivity. Before their release, Hamas guards deliberately overfed them to make them appear healthier. The three formed a deep bond, likening it to that of brothers.
Wenkert, who was in complete isolation for much of his captivity, was unaware of the efforts to secure his release. However, he carried messages from other captives still held in Gaza and has vowed to advocate for those left behind. His mother, Niva Wenkert, shared with KAN News that her son had been held in a tunnel with other hostages and had brought back messages of life from those still in captivity.
According to Ynet News, Wenkert’s mother emphasized that he had seen daylight only in the days leading up to his release. He had been cut off from any knowledge of efforts to free him and was only made aware of the outside world through brief glimpses of television broadcasts, mostly from Al Jazeera. He now intends to join advocacy efforts for those still in captivity.
The condition of long-term hostages
Hisham Al-Sayed, who was held for over a decade, appeared unrecognizable upon his release. According to Israeli medical staff, he exhibited signs of extreme psychological trauma, resembling someone who had endured years of torture.
another long-term hostage, recognized his family upon returning to Israel but spoke very little, struggling to communicate. His family described his mental state as deeply concerning.
According to Channel 13 News, the conditions of Mengistu and al-Sayed are so severe that medical personnel compared their psychological states to those of individuals who have endured years of forced labor and extreme isolation.