Hostage didn’t sleep for 49 nights after Hamas took her oxygen machine

‘Being held hostage in the tunnels is an unbearable situation. We must return the people as soon as possible.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

At a support rally for hostages still held by Hamas, a video was shown of released hostage Margalit Moses’ testimony describing how she coped in captivity after Hamas took her oxygen machine.

The 77-year-old from Kibbutz Nir Oz requires an oxygen machine to sleep at night and brought it with her when she was taken hostage until terrorists took it from her.

“One of the terrorists who got mad at me, took the device from me even though I told him it was my oxygen. I spoke to him in Arabic and he understood the meaning but he didn’t care.”

Although a doctor gave her instructions on how to breathe while sitting up and holding her head back against a wall, Margalit Moses said, “I could only breathe, but I couldn’t fall asleep. I didn’t fall asleep for 49 days.”

She added, “There were mental difficulties, there were physical difficulties and every day that passes it becomes more and more difficult.”

“Being held hostage in the tunnels is an unbearable situation. We must return the people as soon as possible.”

In the days and weeks following the release of hostages, a more complete picture is coming to light about the hostages’ treatment during their captivity.

Immediately on her release, 84-year-old Elma Avraham was rushed to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba because she was in critical condition after not having received life-saving medication during her activity.

Although her family tried to deliver medication to her through the Red Cross, it was never received.

Fortunately, after having been given medical treatment, Elma Avraham is no longer in critical treatment and can breathe on her own.

Relatives of child hostages as well as medical staff have related cases of severe mistreatment.

Many were held in dark rooms in isolation, and children were threatened with weapons if they weren’t completely silent.

Thomas Hand, the father of Emily Hand, as well as relatives of other hostages, said that the children wouldn’t speak above a whisper even after they were freed and would ask permission for basic things, such as snacks or going to the bathroom.