The Harrowing Tale of a Former Hamas Hostage

Stand for Israel  |  November 21, 2024

Writing at JNS, Amelie Botbol talks with 19-year-old Ofir Engel who was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, and held there for 54 days:

He went on: “They took us from there by car with two women dressed in jalabiyas whom we assumed were Arabs. But suddenly, one of them whispered in Hebrew, ‘Do you speak English?’ I was in shock. I didn’t answer. She asked again and I said, ‘yes.’ She explained they were also captives and that we had to be quiet.”

It turned out that the two women, Moran Stella Yanai and Raya Rotem, were ultimately freed. They all arrived at a location where more Israeli female hostages were waiting, some with a radio. They confirmed to him that a deal for their release was about to be concluded.

“In that house, there were lots of terrorists, but they were much nicer,” Engel said. “They gave us many pitas, drinks and sweets. They wanted us to go back with good feelings and say we were treated well, but we weren’t.”