Daniella Gilboa, Liri Albag, Naama Levy and Karina Ariev were detained in precarious sanitary conditions, alternating between civilian apartments and Hamas tunnels. They told their relatives of being forced to cook, clean and look after their captors’ children, and explained that they had to carry out these tasks even during times of rationing. In the first days of their captivity, an elderly man watched over them, facilitating their access to food and showers, and serving as an intermediary with the captors. He made sure they could eat and wash. The young women later learned of his death while in detention.
Regularly moved and disguised as Palestinians to avoid detection, they were forced to learn Arabic. According to the Keshet channel, they even met “very senior Hamas officials”. The terrorists treated them with contempt, referring to them simply as “the soldiers.”
Exposed to the media mainly through Al Jazeera, they followed the news and could hear their loved ones on the radio. “You were my strength, the only ones to give me hope,” Liri confided to her parents. They even saw their photos on signs in Israel: “We even laughed at the choice of photos.” One of them heard her family wish her birthday on the radio.
The captives were briefed on Israeli military operations, including a building collapse that killed 21 soldiers in December, which they described as the “most significant” month of combat. Liri Albag emerged as the leader of the group, managing interactions with the goalkeepers.
-The recent separation from Agam Berger, who remains captive and is expected to be released next Saturday, has been particularly trying. According to the Kan News report, all five were detained together until recent days.
When they were freed, they defied their captors: “We showed them that it didn’t affect us. We are stronger than that.” On the return helicopter, they even joked by asking to be spoken to in Arabic, claiming to have forgotten Hebrew. According to testimonies, Naama Levy shared her captivity with Doron Steinbrecher, released the previous week. Together, they practiced physical exercises to maintain their condition.
