Hostages starved, chained and kept in darkness say families

The hostages freed from Hamas captivity this weekend were held chained in the dark, starved, and subjected to psychological abuse during their time in Gaza, according to their relatives.

Four Israelis, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, and Eliya Cohen, had been held by the terror group for over 500 days since the October 7 attack.  Two others, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, had been held for a decade.

 Five of the hostages were initially paraded by Hamas in staged propaganda ceremonies, before being handed over to the Red Cross. Hisham Al-Sayed was handed over privately.

Hamas militants parade newly-released Israeli hostages (L to R) Elia Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wankert on stage (Picture: Getty)AFP via Getty Images

Omer Shem Tov, who had been held in isolation for much of his captivity, spent the first 50 days he spent with his friend Itay Regev, who was among the first hostages to be released.

After that, he was alone for the remainder of his 16-month-long ordeal. His father, Malki Shem Tov, confirmed that Omer had been forced by his captors to participate in a propaganda ceremony, during which he was made to kiss a Hamas gunman on the forehead.

Malki said, "Omer told us that they compelled him to wave and to kiss that guard who was standing next to him. He said they told him what to do."

After his release, Shem Tov was airlifted to a hospital, where he wrote on a whiteboard, “Now everything is OK! Thank you to the dear people of Israel, and to all the soldiers!” He added, “I want a hamburger.”

Ommer Shem Tov reunited with his family (Picture: IDF)[Missing Credit]

Eliya Cohen, who was shot in the leg during the October 7 attacks, was also held under harsh conditions.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 he was chained by both his hands and feet, causing open cuts, and held in pitch-black tunnels for months.

Cohen was unaware that his fiancée, Ziv Abud, had survived the attack, but he soon realised that his best friend had been killed. Cohen, like the others, was starved during his captivity and only released after being deliberately fattened up by his captors to improve his appearance.

A military helicopter with released hostages Eliya Cohen arrive at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva (Picture: Flash90)Flash90

Omer Wenkert, who had lost 30 kilograms (66 pounds) in captivity, was also released. Wenkert had suffered from colitis and was denied the necessary medication.

He was held alongside Tal Shoham for eight months. Shoham, who had limited media exposure during his captivity, was unaware that his wife and children had been taken hostage until after his release.

After starving them throughout their captivity, the men’s captors force fed them ahead of their release so they wouldn’t look so bad, Channel 12 reported.

Released hostage Tal Shoham with his wife, kids, and family (Picture: IDF)[Missing Credit]

Meanwhile, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, both of whom had been held by Hamas for nearly 10 years, were also freed.

Mengistu had entered Gaza voluntarily in 2014 due to mental illness, and al-Sayed, who suffers from schizophrenia, had also crossed into Gaza in 2015.

Both men were in poor psychological states upon their return. Mengistu was largely unresponsive, with his family describing his condition as “not good.”

Avera Mengistu (center) is embraced by family members at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv after being released from Hamas captivity (Picture: IDF)[Missing Credit]

His release was hailed by his family, who thanked Prime Minister Netanyahu for securing his return.

Al-Sayed’s physical condition was better than expected, despite a video from 2022 showing him in poor health.

His family described him as “emotionally and cognitively destroyed.” Upon his return, al-Sayed displayed little emotion and was described as “destroyed” by his father, who told Kan radio, “He looks like he was in a torture camp for 10 years.”

Hours after their release, Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, and Omer Wenkert participated in a Havdalah service marking the end of Shabbat at a hospital in central Israel.

Cohen's grandfather, Aharon Rabi, led the service, which was attended by family members, IDF officers, and hospital staff. “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion,” Rabi said as he embraced his grandson.

These six hostages are the final individuals scheduled to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began after the October 7 Hamas-led invasion.

The final four hostages from the initial 33, all presumed dead, are expected to be released on Thursday.