After four months into the war with Hamas – much remains unknown to the public about the hostages’ condition, including where they were kept, by whom they were held, how they were moved about, etc. Even now, following the daring early-morning rescue of hostages Fernando Marman (61) and Luis Har (70), who spent 129 days in captivity, much remains untold and hidden from the public, apart from the few fragments of details shared with family.
Both Har and Marman have since been transferred to a hospital in central Israel, where their reunion and recovery can be monitored. And despite only escaping Gaza two days ago, their prognosis looks good.
In a press briefing organized by the Jerusalem Press Club [JPC] and the Hostages & Missing Persons’ Families Forum, Maayan Sigal-Koren discussed her family's trials, tribulations, and hopes for the future.
During Hamas' heinous atrocities of October 7, several thousand terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 mostly civilian men, women, and children; and kidnapping over 240. Roughly 100 Hamas fighters entered the Israeli community of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, where they entered some 60 homes, destroyed infrastructure, and murdered and kidnapped community members.
In total, five community members from Nir Yitzhak were murdered, including four of the kibbutz’s security squad. And six were taken hostage – Lior Rudaeff (61), who remains in captivity today, and five members of the Marman-Har-Leimberg family.
This includes Sigal-Koren’s aunt Gabriela Leimberg (59), cousin Mia Leimberg (17), uncle Fernando Marman (61), mother Clara Marman (64), and Clara’s partner Luis Har (70) – a father of four and grandfather to ten.
Clara and Luis live together on the kibbutz, whereas the rest of the family is visiting for the holiday weekend. When Hamas invaded, they all huddled in a corner of their safe room under gunfire until they were coaxed out and kidnapped.
Speaking via Zoom from the hospital, Sigal-Koren says she and her family are optimistic about slowly getting back to their lives and that Har and her uncle Fernando should be discharged from the hospital within a day or so.
That isn’t to say, however, that unexpected issues won’t arise down the road.
In spite of internationally brokered agreements involving Israel, Qatar, and Hamas, for example, none of the hostages have received any medications they were meant to receive. Sigal-Koren told Army Radio in a previous interview that Har was sent a hearing aid, glasses, and medication for his diabetes and hypertension. But Har says he never saw any of it.
Likewise, Har and Marman have only been out of Gaza for a few days now, and long-term consequences can’t yet be observed. “There’s a lot we will only learn in time,” says Sigal-Koren. “But I can see the consequences with my mom, and she was only held hostage for 53 days,” as opposed to 129.
Each hostage’s recovery is different, too. “My mom has a few preconditions,” Sigal-Koren explained. And on top of those conditions, she can’t return to her home.
“I know it will be different now, though, because until two days ago, my mom didn’t start her recovery. She was all-in fighting for her partner [Har] and brother’s [Marman] release… She did start seeing a psychiatrist and some physical and mental rehabilitation. But I guess now that they’re [Har and Marman] back, she’ll be concentrating on herself [more] and really start the rehabilitation as she should.”
But speaking of Har and Marman’s captivity, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also reported in a statement that “The hostages were held captive in harsh conditions;” and that “They were intentionally held in the middle of a civilian neighborhood, inside a civilian building, to try and prevent us from rescuing them. But we did.”
Between what she knows and what she’s allowed to say, Sigal-Koren explains that her whole family was kept by Hamas terrorists and affiliated guards until late November when three of her five family members [Gabriela, Mia, and Clara] were released as part of the Israel-Hamas hostage negotiations. Mia’s dog, Bella, was also taken and released with them.
From then on, Har and Marman were together but isolated from all other hostages. And while they say they initially thought they’d be released soon after, their hopes were dashed by the renewed sounds of war.
Asked what they did know, Sigal-Koren says that given the language barrier, Hamas terrorists told them little. And what was said could have been psychological terror, if not outright lies, to begin with. Hamas reportedly told their captives that October 7 was one of many great victories and that they bragged about killing many people.
“So they didn’t know what was going on,” says Sigal-Koren. “But they knew about missiles. They heard them as they went out from Gaza to Israel, and they definitely heard the missiles and bombing around them in Gaza.”
As for how they passed the time, Sigal-Koren says Har and Marman have only started to open up, but generally, they say they did absolutely nothing. They and other released hostages all say the same thing. They just sat around most of the time.
She also says Har and Marman were able to talk to one another a little, but that “from time to time they didn’t even want to talk to anyone. They wanted to disappear. To close their eyes and meditate and be somewhere else because it was too hard to bear the situation.”
“We’re asking questions, but slowly,” Sigal-Koren continued. “We want to know everything, of course. But it’s hard to talk about. And there are many things I know we’ll never understand. There are things only Luis and Fernando will understand between one another.”
The rescue mission
As for the rescue itself, the operation was jointly conducted by the Shin Bet Israel Security Agency the Israel Defense Forces [IDF], and the Israeli Police Yamam and Border Police units.
IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said of the mission that it “was a complex rescue operation under fire in the heart of Rafah, based on highly sensitive and valuable intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate and the Israel Security Agency."
Footage of the rescue that’s been released by the IDF and Israeli police shows Israeli forces storming the building in question with explosions, engaging Hamas terrorists, and hastily making their escape.
The two hostages were then rushed into an armored vehicle, which ferried them to a helicopter. And the helicopter, in turn, brought them to Sheba Medical Center in central Israel. The entire operation took less than an hour.
In the armored vehicle, one of the commandos asks Marman and Har how they’re feeling, “excellent” is the reply, as their smiles beam from ear to ear.
“It was a complete surprise [for them],” says Sigal-Koren. And “same for us. At 3 am, the people who were with us all this time from the army called us and told us they [Marman and Har] were in the hands of the IDF, and it was shocking. I needed them to tell me a few times that it really happened because it was such a surprise. They said they were taking us to the hospital, and it was a big mess of excitement and feelings that I will never forget.”
Fernando and Luis, on the other hand, quickly understood that the Israeli army was outside the doors of their prison. “They called their names once they entered where they were,” Sigal-Koren continued, adding that “at the moment an Israeli soldier held him [Har], he felt secure… like nothing could ever happen to him again. It’s very calming to know that this is the way they felt from that moment—that they’re so safe and at home even before they got back to Israel.”
“This rescue mission underscores the importance of our ground operation in Gaza, including Rafah, when conditions allow,” concluded Hagari in his statement about the mission. “134 men, women, children, and elderly are still being held hostage in Gaza. We have a moral obligation to bring all our hostages home. And that is an obligation that we will continue doing everything in our power to fulfill.”