Yarden Roman-Gat has never seen the Hamas tunnels. Detained in a house, this ex-hostage told the American channel CBS about elements of her captivity in Gaza. “I was under constant surveillance, I was never hidden, not for a single moment,” she said during the prestigious program “60 Minutes”, broadcast on Sunday in one of the rare direct interviews given by the approximately 110 hostages released since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
This Israeli woman is kibbutz Beeri with her husband and their daughter on the morning of October 7, when Hamas launched its attack on Israel. Her husband Alon managed to escape with their 3-year-old daughter – hiding in a ditch for hours – but she was taken hostage, brought back to Gaza “half naked,” she recalled to CBS. And in the Palestinian territory, his arrival is greeted by the crowd. “My captors couldn’t help it, showing me off like a trophy. »
Released on the sixth day of the truce
On site, Yarden Roman-Gat is monitored 24 hours a day. “They didn’t want to protect me, he wanted to keep a trophy,” this 36-year-old physiotherapist told the American channel. “But I think I managed to get them to pay a little attention. And I think that helped me survive. » She didn’t say any more, slipping away however that she was able to hear the radio and understand that her daughter and her husband had escaped.
During a week-long truce that ended on December 1, 105 hostages were released, including 80 in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Yarden Roman-Gat was released on the sixth day of this truce, but her sister-in-law is still held captive.
Some 250 people were taken hostage during the unprecedented attack launched on October 7 by Hamas on Israeli soil, which left around 1,140 dead, mostly civilians, according to the authorities. To date, 129 hostages are still being held in Gaza and eleven bodies have been repatriated.