Testimony of 4 Israeli soldiers freed from Hamas captivity: ‘There were periods with no food, we supported one another’

The four female Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, who worked as observers along the Israeli-Gaza border, returned to Israel from Hamas captivity on Saturday. They shared part of their experiences with Israeli media, detailing difficult circumstances during their 477 days in Gaza. 

“There were periods when there was no food, when the IDF attacked near and it was frightening. We supported one another, and we strengthened one another,” the girls shared. 

The strength displayed by the four returning soldiers was evident from the moment that Hamas brought them out of the vehicles during the release ceremony on Saturday. From the elaborate preparations made by Hamas for the event, it was clear the terror group intended to make some kind of display of the group’s strength and control of the situation. 

According to reports in Hebrew media, the girls told family members that they determined to show strength and composure during the ceremony, knowing that Hamas intended the ceremony to humiliate them. 

“We showed them on the stage that we were not fazed,” Kan TV news quoted one of them as telling family and friends. “It had no impact on us. We are stronger than them.” 

However, the four girls, who were taken captive by armed terrorists after suffering physical abuse on Oct. 7, 2023, demonstrated strength, resilience, and unity during the release ceremony – holding hands, smiling, and waving to the crowds and cameras. 

After the soldiers returned to Israel, it became clear that their show of strength was not a result of good treatment by their captors. 

According to the brief statements released to the media, the girls had a difficult time during their 477 days of captivity. 

They reported being forbidden to hold hands or to cry when held together. The girls were not given consistent food, and were held in unsanitary conditions, even going months without showering. 

The girls were apparently not all held together during the entire captivity. Some were even kept in civilian apartments for part of the time, while spending the rest of their captivity in tunnels. 

When the time for their release came, the girls were notified only shortly before, and only then realized that Agam Berger would not be freed with them. Reportedly, one of the girls offered to stay behind with Berger, but was refused by Hamas. 

According to N12 news, the four girls told the family of Agam Berger that they will come to stay with her in the hospital when she is released on Saturday. 

For the first few weeks after their captivity, the observers were held in civilian apartments in Gaza, where they were often forced to cook and clean for their captors, even when not given food for themselves. When being transferred from one place to another, the girls were disguised as Palestinian women, to avoid notice by Israeli forces. 

The girls reported having met “very senior Hamas people” during their captivity. 

Their captors also used psychological torture against the girls, informing them of the killing of the three hostages mistakenly shot by the IDF, and telling them, "This is what will happen to those who try to escape.” 

However, despite their conditions, the girls heard radio broadcasts occasionally, or saw Al Jazeera TV broadcasts which spoke of the hostage demonstrations in Israel. They knew their families were working for their release. 

During their captivity, the girls even learned some Arabic. Public broadcaster Kan reported that when the girls were transferred to an IDF helicopter for the trip to the hospital, they joked with the soldiers, telling them to speak Arabic so they could understand. 

A medical source involved in receiving the soldiers said, “The girls exuded resilience on stage in front of the terrorists in Gaza. This is an inner strength, that even if it turns out that the terrorists gave them drugs, the resilience they showed cannot be explained in this way.” 

During previous hostage releases in November 2023, Hamas is reported to have given drugs to the hostages to make them appear happy and friendly during the handover. No reports of the hostages released in this agreement having received drugs have been released so far.