Parents of four young female Israeli hostages freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza have told the BBC about how their daughters were abused, including being starved, intimidated and threatened by armed men, and forced to cook and clean.
They recounted how the hostages were held in underground tunnels and buildings, witnessed physical abuse and were made to participate in Hamas propaganda videos, including, in one case, by faking her own death.
They said the women found strength through sharing stories, drawing and keeping a diary.
None of the women have given interviews to the media since their release, and their parents say the full details of what they endured are still emerging. There are also things they can't speak about due to fears it could put the hostages still in Gaza at risk.
Three of the four women whose parents spoke to the BBC were female soldiers kidnapped by Hamas from the Nahal Oz army base near Gaza on 7 October 2023.
The hostages' access to food and their treatment by male guards varied over the 15 months they were held, their parents said. They were moved between locations, rarely seeing sunlight.
"It was very different between the places that she went - it could be a good tunnel, it could be a very bad tunnel. It could be a good house or a bad house," said the father of Agam Berger, 20, a soldier who had been at Nahal Oz.
Some of the places had good food, some had "very bad food... they just tried to survive," Shlomi Berger said.
(L-R) Five female hostages Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Liri Albag and Daniella Gilboa were released last month
"They [and their captors] had to run away from one place to another because they are in a war zone there. It was very dangerous to be there," said Orly Gilboa, whose daughter Daniella was also kidnapped from the base.
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxnwnz1ldko
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