Released hostage Tal Shoham shares that Hamas continued to threaten his wife even after setting her free.
Tal Shoham, who was held captive by Hamas for 505 days before being released two months ago, recently opened up to the Associated Press about the harrowing ordeal. Describing the conditions as “terrible,” he shared that there were moments he believed he wouldn’t survive. “There were many times I said goodbye to life,” he recalled. “So many ways to die in that place.”
His wife and children were released in the first hostage deal, but during Shoham’s captivity, his wife Adi received a chilling phone call from someone claiming to be a Hamas member, warning her to remain silent about her experience or risk her husband’s life. Shoham claimed there are details he still won’t share to avoid endangering others still held captive.
Shoham, 40, who also holds Austrian citizenship, was held in various locations and endured periods of starvation, beatings, and threats. Early on, a Hamas militant pointed a gun at him and ordered him to kneel. He refused. “I didn’t want to be murdered on their terms,” he said.
Initially kept in chains in northern Gaza, Shoham was later moved to another apartment where he was joined by fellow captives Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal. The three shared months of captivity under dire conditions, often beaten and humiliated. Their captors would mock them, pretending to fire guns and referencing the party where they were kidnapped. Forbidden to speak, they learned to communicate by whispering.
Shoham said he learned Arabic to improve communication with his captors and reduce his risk. In return for massaging one captor’s back daily, the group occasionally received better food, like sardines, tuna, and eggs.
Around 50 days into his captivity, Shoham received a letter from his wife via his captors, informing him that she and the children were safe and would soon be freed. That message, he said, was a rare act of kindness and gave him the mental strength to keep going.
In June 2024, Shoham, David, and Gilboa-Dalal were moved to a tunnel some 30 meters underground, where they joined Omer Wenkert. Their relocation followed Operation Arnon, which saw the dramatic rescue of several hostages from Nuseirat. The men were disguised as Palestinians and transported in an ambulance. In the tunnel, they slept on thin mattresses near a hole used as a toilet, and bathed about once every three weeks.
As he was leaving captivity, Shoham told his fellow captives, “Be strong. Don’t lose hope.” He now urges the Israeli government and international community to act swiftly to free the remaining hostages. “I fear they will die if they aren’t rescued soon,” he warned.
