The hostages held in Gaza captivity are enduring unimaginable suffering, released hostage Doron Steinbrecher said in a video screened at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday.
“I am here to bear witness firsthand: my friends who remain in captivity are enduring suffering beyond belief. No stretch of the imagination can capture the horror of their daily reality,” she said.
“This reality is too cruel to grasp. No one can truly understand it in 90 seconds – not even in 90 hours, and my friends are still in hell after more than 510 days.”
Steinbrecher, who was kidnapped from her home in Kfar Aza on October 7 and was released from Hamas captivity in January, detailed the conditions of her captivity. She was held “in inhumane conditions in a tunnel underground, with no light and no fresh air,” she noted.
"Before it's too late"
She appealed to the council for action. “You all saw the terrible conditions of the hostages who returned in the past few weeks. How much longer do you think they can survive? We must all do everything within our power to bring them home. Please help us – before it’s too late.”
With regard to a ceasefire, she noted, “A ceasefire and a hostage deal are not just the right course of action – they are necessary. For the hostages. For Israel. For the Palestinians. For the future of the region.”
Father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, who is currently held in Gaza, also urged for the release of the hostages to continue.
“I stand before you at the UN Human Rights Council to urge the international community – especially the negotiating states, Egypt and Qatar – as well as the Israeli government: Secure the ceasefire. Ensure the continuation of the hostage releases.”