Since October 7, their family has been broken into pieces. If Bat-Sheva Yahalomi found her eldest son on November 27, she is desperately awaiting the return of her husband Ohad, a 49-year-old Franco-Israeli still presumed detained by Hamas in Gaza. She spoke to AFP for the first time this Thursday, March 28.
The five members of the Yahalomi family lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel until the attacks. Bat-Sheva and Ohad are the parents of three children, Eitan, their eldest now aged 13, and two daughters aged 10 and 2. On October 7, terrorists landed in their kibbutz and attacked dozens of residents. The entire family was kidnapped, but the mother and her daughters managed to escape, thanks to a fall from their captor's motorcycle.
Placed in cell upon arrival in Gaza
Eitan and Ohad were not as lucky and were taken to Gaza, like more than 250 people captured that day. The young boy was released on November 27, after 52 days of captivity, as part of a truce agreement which provided for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Alongside Eitan Yahalomi, two other young Franco-Israelis also regained freedom the same day, Sahar Kalderon, 16, and his little brother Erez, 12.
Eitan Yahalomi, during reunion with his mother Bat-Sheva, November 27, 2023. Israeli Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS
Since his return to Israel, the teenager has confided in his loved ones, particularly his mother, about his conditions of detention, which depict a frightening environment. “He was beaten when he arrived
(in Gaza)
, then they put him alone in a cell with bars and he remained alone for 16 days under the guard of armed Hamas men,” his mother said.
“He slept on the floor and was hungry all the time, he got a pita and a cucumber a day. He showered twice in 52 days and did not sleep once on a bed or mattress,” Bat-Sheva detailed.
Held with several other child hostages
Beyond the living conditions, the young teenager's jailers inflicted psychological violence on him: "They forced him to watch images that they said he had filmed on October 7, and when he cried, they threatened him with a weapon,” she said, without wanting to go into detail about the “atrocious” images to which her son says he was exposed. Several hostages also reported watching the same films.
Also read: Some have “not seen the light of day”: hunger, mental torture… Immersed in the 50 days of captivity of Hamas hostages
Placed under constant surveillance by men, isolated, Eitan knew nothing of the fate of his family. His captors told him contradictory stories, plunging the child into “terrible uncertainty”. After 16 days, he was taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, and locked in a small room with ten other hostages, including five children.
He was notably detained with Shani Goren, an educator from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Aged 29, she took care of several children until her release on November 30. Her sister Shira revealed after her release that the Yahalomi family called her to tell her that Shani was still alive and that they had taken care of Eitan. She herself later confirmed the presence of the young boy.
A bar mitzvah without her father
Since his return, he talks all the time about his captivity, sleeps with his mother and has not managed to return to a normal life. “He has nightmares all the time, he is strong but he is not doing well… Eitan is still in October 7,” said Bat-Sheva Yahalomi. The child celebrated his bar mitzvah last week, with family but “without festivities” and especially without his father, still hostage.
Ohad Yalahomi was kidnapped, along with his son Eitan, by Hamas in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. DR
His fate remains unknown: “The children ask me questions about their father, but I have no answers,” lamented the mother. According to Israeli authorities, there remain 130 hostages from October 7 in Gaza, of whom at least 34 are believed to be dead. In retaliation, Israel launched a vast military offensive on the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, the operations caused the deaths of 32,552 people, the majority civilians. The destruction is enormous and the north of the territory is threatened by famine.