Former Israeli detainee Chen Goldstein-Almog and her three children, who were held captive by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza, were treated with respect and did not suffer any physical harm or ill-treatment, as reported by The New York Times. However, she noted that she had encountered other detainees who claimed they received poor treatment. She mentioned having lengthy conversations with her captors that sometimes lasted hours. “We talked about our families and the grave dangers we all face,” she relayed.
According to Goldstein-Almog, they were mostly held in an apartment in Gaza, but during her seven-week captivity, she and her children were moved to various locations, including different apartments, tunnels, a mosque, and what she described as a destroyed supermarket, particularly harrowing due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
She described the head of the guards as educated and fluent in Hebrew, noting that the guards taught her son 250 Arabic words to keep him occupied and provided him with a study notebook. They often involved them in discussions about meals and invited them to participate in cooking in the kitchen.
The released detainee also shared that one of the Hamas fighters apologized for the death of her husband and one of her daughters caused by other members and told her that it was a mistake. Before her release, one of the guards warned her not to return to the Gaza envelope because “we are coming back,” and advised her to move further away.
Goldstein-Almog, 48 years old, and her three children were detained during the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7th and were released at the end of November as part of a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas during a temporary humanitarian ceasefire.
