The four female soldiers released after 477 days in Hamas captivity - Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy - are now back in Israel, about 72 hours since their release. As time passes, more details are coming to light about the harsh reality they endured in captivity, and their bravery.
The bravery of the female soldiers
From the words of captivity survivor Amit Soussana, who was released in a deal in November 2023, the bravery of Liri Albag is becoming clear. In an interview on Channel 12, she revealed that Albag "saved her life." Soussana described how Albag stood up to their captors and protected her.
"She had strength in front of him, Liri is a force," Soussana said. "She did it; I told her, 'You saved my life.'"
Another incident that demonstrates the courage of the female soldiers occurred just before their release. While in Israel no one knew which of them would be released the following Saturday, Hamas chose four of the girls, and it became clear to them that Agam Berger would remain in Gaza until the next release. One of the released female soldiers held her friend's hand, stood in front of the terrorists, and declared that she would stay with Agam.
Only when forced by the terrorists to leave according to their planned arrangement did she reluctantly leave her friend behind, waiting for the next release wave, with the hope that Agam would be reunited with her family and also reunited with her comrades in Israel for a journey of healing from the horrors of Gaza.
The conditions in captivity
In conversations with their families, it was revealed that the female soldiers had limited exposure to news, mainly from Al Jazeera and radio broadcasts. "Daniela saw what was happening here; she knew they were fighting for her," said Inbar Dadon, mother of Roy Dadon, Daniela's partner, in a conversation with Israel Hayom. "They saw the activity of the families, the mothers. Her mother is a strong woman, a lioness, who led an amazing process until the moment she held her again in her arms."
Daniella's aunt, Eti Schwartz, said on Sunday in an interview with Kan 11: "I can't say much, but I was told that she ate one or two pita breads a day, until their stomachs swelled. Sometimes they would cook, but wouldn't eat it. She was in a tunnel, in the dark, but they were together, that was their luck."
Regarding the general reality of the female captives, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Avi Banov, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, described their ordeal in an interview with Reuters."Some of them told us that they've been in the past few months, that they've been through the entire time, in tunnels, underground," Banov said. "Some of them were alone through the entire time they were there. Those who said they were together were in better shape." According to him, treatment for the captives improved in the days leading up to their release, when they were allowed to shower, change clothes, and were given better food.
Banov noted that some of the captives had not received proper medical treatment for injuries sustained since the kidnapping on October 7, and some showed signs of malnutrition. Citing privacy concerns, Banov declined to comment on whether any of the seven female hostages released so far - three civilians and four soldiers - bore signs of torture or abuse.
On the subject of learning Arabic to help them communicate with their captors, he mentioned: "They learned fluent Arabic, spoke with the captors, and even with the children of the captors."
