"When They Removed My Chains, I Had to Learn to Walk Again"

"I was kept tied in a tunnel without light, barely any air. I couldn't stand up, let alone walk. I had to convince my captors to let me relieve myself more than once a day. Only when the time for my release approached did they remove the chains, and I had to learn to walk again." Or Levy, one of the three emaciated hostages freed by Hamas last Saturday, gave a chilling account of his 491 days in captivity on Channel 12 television.

Their words add to the testimonies of other freed captives, who recount living chained in dark, damp places, often in tunnels targeted by Israeli attacks, frequently gagged and always very hungry. Some claim they were hung by their feet and even burned with hot irons. Doctors confirmed that both he and Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami were severely malnourished and suffered from heart disorders and infections.

The appalling conditions increase the fear among the relatives of those still in Hamas's hands that they might receive a corpse. With each passing day, the chances of death grow, and 17 of the Israelis who were to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement remain captive. The extremist organisation has already stated that eight have died. In total, 73 of the 251 hostages taken since October 7, 2023, have been freed, although it is confirmed that 34 have died.

The uncertainty about their condition is complete. Yesterday, Israel declared another hostage, Shlomo Mantzur, dead. At 85, he was the oldest of the captives. However, it was reported that he did not die during captivity but on October 7, when Hamas launched its attack. The militants took his body. This bad news was offset by good news for the family of twin brothers Ziv and Gali Berman: according to their relatives, they have proof that both are alive and held separately.

Aware that they still have the power to exert pressure, yesterday, families of hostages gathered outside the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Israeli flags and photos of their loved ones. "We cannot afford another standoff between the parties. There is a deal. Fulfil it!" shouted Zahiro, whose uncle, Avraham Munder, died in captivity in Gaza. Another group blocked Highway 1, which connects Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, to prevent the government from jeopardising the agreement with the Palestinians. "Abandoning the hostages is a war crime," read the banner they carried.

Meanwhile, the Forum of Hostage and Missing Families stated that "there is no room for doubt after the shocking conditions of the hostages freed last Saturday," and made an urgent appeal to the mediating countries involved in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to "help restore and implement the agreement" in Gaza. "Time is of the essence. All hostages must be urgently rescued from this terrible situation," it concluded.