Hamas abused released hostage Hisham al-Sayed while in Gaza captivity, knowing he was mentally ill, his father, Sha'aban, said on Thursday.
“Hamas abused Hisham, even though they knew he was mentally ill," he said.
In 2015, Al-Sayed wandered into southern Gaza and was abducted by Hamas. He was released by Hamas in February as part of the hostage-ceasefire deal.
His father said a decade in captivity has left deep scars in his son, with his mental state remaining fragile.
“Since he came back, he doesn’t even know where he is,” his father said. “He doesn’t communicate, he doesn’t speak. He simply doesn’t talk about it. He only talks about things that happened ten years ago and mentions names of people from a decade ago.”
Al-Sayed is currently hospitalized in a psychiatric facility. “It’s very difficult for me, I have to admit. I just want my child back the way he was before he was taken captive. I’m not giving up and believe it can still happen. They are adjusting his medication doses up and down, hoping it will help him.”
His father believed that Hisham’s condition deteriorated due to the circumstances of his captivity in Gaza. “From what I understand, I assume he was kept in isolation and hardly spoken to at all for ten years. That’s why his condition is so severe. Physically, he is fine, but mentally—the gap is enormous.”
“We are doing everything we can to help him, but it’s a process. I just want my son to return to being who he was.”
Al-Sayed, 36, who reportedly suffers from schizophrenia, crossed the border into Gaza on April 21, 2015.
Initially classified as missing, his family had no information on his whereabouts. It was only in July of that year, about three months after his disappearance, that Hamas confirmed he was in their custody.
Crossing the border
His father recounted that his son had a habit of walking for hours, sometimes ending up in dangerous areas. Usually, those who encountered him quickly realized he was ill and helped him return home.
Once, he even made it to Jordan, and the family was able to locate and bring him back after three days.
His father said in 2016, “In the five years before he entered Gaza, he crossed the border five times: twice he reached Jordan, once he went to Egypt, and twice he entered Gaza."
“In Gaza, they realized who they were dealing with and returned him to the Erez Crossing. That was in 2010 and 2013. After interrogating him, they understood that he suffered from a mental illness, schizophrenia, and then released him.”