Israeli captives share testimonies of treatment in Gaza

Testimonies from captives who were held by Palestinian groups in Gaza have been discussed in Israeli media, following the release of dozens of hostages. 

Alon Ben-David, the senior defence correspondent for Israel's Channel 13, spoke over the weekend of the treatment of captives by Hamas. 

"Hamas tried to provide the required medications every day. But there were days when medicine was provided and others without," he said during a televised news segment.

He added that food was scarce, and all the captives had noticeably lost weight. 

"The majority of hostages were together, holding meetings and lectures, sharing stories. Their activities and being together gave them strength to survive those underground conditions [in tunnels]," added Ben-David.

 "All the hostages were together, speaking of good conditions and treatment by the Hamas men. In addition to the medication, they were not subjected to violent treatment or torture."

He said that the released captives spoke to the families of other captives, stating that their family members were "fine and alive".

According to Haaretz, some of the captives followed Israeli media and were informed about ongoing events. One nine-year-old, Ohad Munder, heard birthday greetings for him on Israeli TV. 

The report added that some of the captives spent the entirety of their time in underground tunnels, while others were in hideouts. 

Those underground reportedly experienced harsher conditions, with a lack of food and sunlight. 

In another Haaretz report, the grandmother of three Israelis held prisoner said her loved ones were treated "more or less okay". 

Varda Goldstein said her grandchildren knew of the tragic fate of their father and older sister, who were killed during Hamas's attack on southern Israeli communities on 7 October. 

"Kfar Aza is a strong kibbutz; it will be rebuilt in the next two years," she said. "The state of Israel owes us, the residents of the Gaza periphery, and it must return them all home, and it must help us rebuild the communities."