After the release of 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi on Monday night from Hamas captivity, his aunt, Deborah Cohen, depicted the terrible treatment he experienced.
Eitan was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 massacre from Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
"I wanted to hope that he was treated well, but it turned out that he was not. I could not have expected to hear such descriptions," she said.
The truth about Hamas's treatment of hostages
If previous hostage releases that took place this past week created the impression that Hamas is treating the Israeli hostages who are being held captive in the Gaza Strip well, Eitan's testimony depicts an entirely different reality.
In an interview with the French news outlet BFM, Cohen said that after speaking with Eitan, it was clear to her that he went through "terrible things" while in captivity.
Hamas forced him to watch the uncensored October 7 documentary released by the IDF, she said.
The 12-year-old watched about 45 minutes of footage that portrays evidence of the gruesome attack carried out by Hamas terrorists. Many of the scenes take place in Nahal Oz where Eitan is from.
"They forced him and other children to watch it: the entire movie. Whenever another child would cry during the screening, they would threaten them with a rifle to silence them," Cohen explained.
"[They] would beat him," she said.
"He is a 12-year-old boy: We are talking about a 12-year-old," his aunt said. "Maybe I am naive, but I did not expect to hear such descriptions. I wanted to hold onto the hope that he was treated well, but that was not the case. They are monsters."
Concern for those left behind
Although Eitan has been released, his father, Ohad, is still being held captive by Hamas.
Cohen described the concern that her family is currently feeling after hearing about what Eitan was forced to experience.
"Before Eitan was released, our family was so excited. We anticipated his arrival all day," Cohen said. "But now that I know what we went through, I am worried. Eitan's father is still there, along with approximately 160 Israelis being held captive who also haven't come back. That is a lot. It is hard to feel good after hearing about such experiences."
Eitan's mother, Batsheva Yahalomi, said that when the terrorists entered the kibbutz on October 7 they tried to kidnap her and her children while the terrorists were riding on motorcycles.
Yahalomi was able to rescue her two daughters from the Hamas terrorists, but she was unable to prevent them from capturing her son.
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