“I was no longer human,” said Yarden Romann-Gat, who was released at the end of November. Many people in the Gaza Strip celebrated their display.
The German-Israeli woman was later held in a house without other hostages and was watched there around the clock by a male guard. Her captors could have done anything to her. “You can’t disagree with anything, it could cost you your life,” she said.
She said she was also afraid of the Israeli bombings. “It’s a very frightening experience to be in a war zone.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has released further details about the incident in northern Gaza following the mistaken killing of three hostages. There were cloths on a building nearby that read “SOS” and “Help, three hostages” in Hebrew. However, a soldier felt threatened and, to the horror of the Israelis, shot the hostages.
More on the subject: Hamas hostage speaks on US TV about captivity
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is getting worse. There is a lack of water and food. According to a current survey by the World Food Program (WFP) in the south of the Gaza Strip, 44 percent of the families who fled there report severe, acute hunger. In the WFP’s last survey at the end of November it was 24 percent. The situation is likely to be significantly more tense in the north, as there are hardly any aid deliveries to the northern areas. Medical care is also dramatic: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only eight of 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are still in operation, and they can only work to a limited extent. International pressure on Israel is increasing and is now reaching those allies who had previously unconditionally sided with Israel. The USA in particular increased the pressure on Israel.
At least a new deal to release more hostages from Hamas is being forged behind the scenes. On Monday, representatives of the foreign intelligence agency Mossad, the US CIA and the government of Qatar met in Warsaw.
