difficult detention conditions for the hostages

It is 11 p.m. on the evening of Monday, November 27, when Eitan, 12 years old, finds his mother’s arms. She hugs him very tightly to end, in tears of joy, 52 days of separation. After a night in hospital, the first details leaked about the boy’s detention. His grandmother explains that he remained alone, locked in a room, for the first 13 days. “His first days were very difficult. They transferred him with a group from the kibbutz. There, he saw one of his school teachers, also a hostage. He was very supportive of the other children. He played big brothers, made them draw, he calmed them down”says Esther Yahalomi, Eitan’s grandmother.

Threats with weapons

On Monday, Eitan’s kidnappers staged his release and that of nine other people. What treatment did these militiamen reserve for their little hostages? According to people close to Eitan, the guards threatened with their weapons those who cried too loudly. “He was very hungry because he didn’t have enough to eat for a twelve-year-old boy. They forced him to watch very cruel videos [du 7 octobre]”, testifies Eitan’s aunt. As of Tuesday evening, 150 Israeli hostages and missing persons remain in Gaza, including 8 children.