‘I was certain that I’d die in Gaza’ – freed hostages share their testimony after 471 days in Hamas captivity

The newly-freed trio—Gonen, Damari and Doron Steinbrecher—were initially held together, but became separated later on, according to the report. Damari and Gonen reported being moved dozens of times between different hiding places, both above and below ground.

The hostages rarely saw the light of day and were held in underground facilities most of the time. However, they were temporarily imprisoned in humanitarian compounds originally intended for displaced Gazans, according to the report.

British-Israeli Emily Damari was among those released on Sunday[Missing Credit]

During their captivity, the women cooked and cared for each other, and some of them received medication. One hostage recalled undergoing a medical procedure without anesthesia.

The hostages noted that they also gained limited access to television and radio broadcasts in captivity.

"We saw your struggle, we heard our families fighting," one of the women told her relatives, who participated in rallies and lobbying for their release. "We realized that our families had survived, but we discovered that we had lost a great many friends."

They also said they were "scared to death" during their transfer from Hamas hands to the Red Cross.

Ninety-four hostages remain in captivity, 30 of whom are to return to Israel in the coming weeks during the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The second batch of releases is due to take place on Saturday.

The remaining 64 hostages are to be released in the second and third phases of the agreement, according to a schedule that has yet to be announced.