Freed hostage Gadi Moses debated with Hamas captors over ownership of Israeli land

When the Hamas captors asserted that their ancestors lived in the land before the Jews, Moses responded, ‘What are you talking about? Our people lived in these places 3,000 years ago!’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

During his captivity, freed hostage Gadi Moses regularly debated with his Hamas captors over the ownership of the land of Israel.

The Hamas captors taunted the 80-year-old hostage and asked, “Where are your parents from? Go back there!”

When they asserted that their ancestors lived in the land before the Jews, Moses responded, “What are you talking about? Our people lived in these places 3,000 years ago!”

The first period of his captivity was spent alone, and he would pass the time debating with his captors, often about Islam and political issues.

At one point, his Hamas guards gave him a book about Islam, which Moses said he couldn’t read without glasses, so they provided him with a pair.

Deprived of electricity, Moses went to sleep at sunset and awoke at sunrise, often hearing bombings.

“It was very scary for him,” said his son Yair.

During the last two months of captivity, he was placed with Thai workers who were kidnapped on October 7.

“At last, he was no longer alone—there were others with him. They exchanged a few words but mostly relied on hand and eye gestures to communicate,” Yair shared.

“For the most part, they treated him with respect. They ate their meals together, and he rarely felt afraid, aside from a few brief moments. Mostly, it was just endless boredom—hours upon hours of nothingness,” Yair continued.

“Over time, he managed to piece things together, gaining an understanding of what was happening in Israel. Occasionally, he watched Al Jazeera and became aware of the war in Gaza,” he said.

Moses, Ofer Kalderon, and Yarden Bibas were freed during Saturday night’s hostage-for-prisoner exchange.

Bibas returned to Israel without his wife, Shiri, and his two small children, Ariel and Kfir, who were supposed to have been released along with the women and children in the early phase of the hostage deal.

Israel has asked Hamas to clarify the status of the mother and children, who are on the list of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the agreement.