Survivors of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel have begun recounting the severe psychological and physical trauma they endured during their captivity. These accounts detail experiences of being held in inhumane conditions, subjected to torture, and witnessing atrocities.
Mia Schem, 24, described being shot in the arm by a Hamas gunman and losing a significant amount of blood before being taken to Gaza. She recounted being held like an "animal in a cage," threatened with being married off in the Palestinian enclave, and deprived of adequate medical care for her wound. Schem stated that her captors told her she would never return home, and she was forced to record propaganda videos. She described spending 55 days in captivity, including time in an underground tunnel with other women, where there was "no air and no light."
Schem shared that she tried to communicate the truth of her experience through her eyes in a Hamas-released video, knowing her mother would see it. Despite her physical suffering, she focused on maintaining mental strength by imagining her mother and her future wedding. Schem indicated that speaking about her experience is a part of her healing process, though the trauma will remain with her lifelong.
Hadar Sharvit recounted hiding from terrorists at the Nova music festival site, overhearing the screams of women being raped, and smelling burnt bodies. She described being ten meters away from gunmen while texting her father, apologizing and expressing her love, believing her death was imminent. Sharvit and a friend fled the festival and hid, but were later forced to move as their hiding spot was overrun. From her new hiding place under a citrus tree, she heard Israeli women being abused by militants. The area later caught fire, prompting them to flee to an army checkpoint. Sharvit recalled the scene as a "horror scene that Hollywood would never create itself," with body parts and dead and alive terrorists visible. Upon returning home, she experienced severe PTSD, feeling like a child and being constantly triggered by sounds, unable to sleep with the lights off or drive.
Omer Wenkert, who was held captive for 505 days, described being beaten with an iron rod, having pesticides sprayed on him, and losing a significant amount of weight due to food deprivation. He recounted reaching a breaking point in his captivity in June 2024, feeling like a "broken vessel" and performing a "goodbye ceremony" to his family, believing he would not survive. Wenkert was kidnapped from the Nova festival, where his friend was killed. He spent his initial days in captivity underground, often unable to stand or move. Later, he endured 197 days of total isolation in a narrow tunnel, with minimal food and water, and infrequent guard interactions. The torture escalated, including daily beatings and chemical spraying. Wenkert was eventually transferred to a tunnel with other hostages, where they formed a bond and supported each other. He was released on February 22, 2025, as part of a hostage release deal.
These testimonies come more than two years after Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. The attack was the deadliest against Jews since the Holocaust. Survivors are now seeking psychological healing by sharing their traumatic experiences.