Chained and starving underground: Horrific new details about captivity of hostage Eliya Cohen

After the family of hostage Alon Ohel said it received a first sign of life from him, the family of fellow hostage Eliya Cohen, also said it was told about the horrific conditions in which the terrorists are holding Cohen by recently released hostages, according to Israeli media reports.

Eliya Cohen, who was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova party during the Oct. 7 invasion, has been held in chains throughout his captivity, his family was told.

“We know that they have been tied up in chains from the day they were kidnapped until today, which is unimaginable,” Eliya’s mother Sigalit Cohen told Ynet News.

“A person has been chained for a year and 4 months, and guards are standing over him with drawn weapons, and they haven't moved for a second," Elia's mother said in an interview with Ynet.

“They were treated like animals. They hardly received food, they didn't see daylight, they were in the tunnels from the day they were kidnapped until today. And I'm not even talking about the abuse, I don't know what they went through there,” she added.

During the past few days, some of the recently released hostages contacted the families of hostages who are still in captivity, telling them about the difficult physical and mental condition of some of them, including Alon Ohel and Eliya Cohen.

Cohen was wounded in his leg during the kidnapping and hasn't received proper treatment since then, his mother said.

One of the families, which asked not to be identified, stated that “This is the hardest sign of life we ​​could have received. We can't deal with it. We expect the Prime Minister to act to bring everyone back from this hell now.”

Eliya’s girlfriend Ziv Aboud, who escaped on Oct. 7, wrote on Instagram: “Now I can tell that you don't know I'm alive. From the testimonies of people who were with you in captivity, I know that you don't know what we went through here and what we did, not even a little bit, because you were completely cut off.”

“You don't even know how I wait for you, how every day that passes without you, or without an update, becomes more and more difficult,” she added.

Sigalit Cohen said she was shocked by the condition of the three hostages who were released last weekend.

“My stomach is turning and I'm in a crazy state, we now understand that we didn’t know anything. We received a blow in the stomach on Saturday night, with all the joy of the sign of life we ​​received, I couldn't imagine how bad a situation they are in.”

“We know, thank God, that Eliya is alive,” she said. “They were chained for a year and 4 months, and guards are standing over them with drawn weapons, not moving for a second.”

Unlike Alon Ohel, Eliya Cohen was included in the list of 33 hostages slated for release during the first phase of the ceasefire.

“I'm very, very worried. Even before this deal was implemented, I was worried, and I keep saying that until I see Eliya with my eyes and hug him, I won't believe anything,” she said.

“It's unfortunate to hear that the second phase is also getting further away, because after what we saw on Saturday, the first thing that needs to be done is to bring them home.”