CNN
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The family of one of the hostages rescued in an Israeli operation last weekend said he was subjected to psychological abuse by his Hamas captors during the eight months he was held captive in Gaza.
Andrei Kozlov, 27, was rescued along with Noa Al-Ghamani, Almog Meir Jan and Shlomi Ziv during a raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday. The operation was Israel’s third rescue of hostages held in Gaza and was celebrated in Israel. But it also left a devastating impact, with Gaza authorities saying at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the raid and subsequent firefight with Hamas fighters.
Kozlov and his companions were being held in two civilian buildings in a densely populated area, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the raids were carried out simultaneously in two buildings out of fear that some of the hostages would be killed if they learned an operation was underway.
Kozlov, a Russian national, emigrated to Israel about two years ago. On October 7, he was working as a security guard at the Nova music festival when he was kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
In an interview with CNN, Kozlov’s family detailed their son’s ordeal, including how he initially believed the Israeli forces who rescued him were sent to kill him.
Kozlov’s father, Mikhail Kozlov, said his son was “very scared” after Hamas fighters had for months falsely claimed “they are a problem for Israel” and “Israel wants to kill them all.”
“He was told that Israel was trying to kill him. He didn’t understand why the IDF had come. He was afraid that they had come to kill him. It took him a while to realise that they had come to rescue him.”
Mikhail said his son would not reveal the full extent of the abuse he had suffered and “they didn’t see him as a person.”
“I would say they will punish him for anything they deem wrong,” he said.
“One of the examples Andrei gave was covering him with a blanket during the hottest part of the day,” he said.
“Being dehydrated in the heat is a very tough challenge.”
His brother Dmitry said: “They [physical] “Points… but they still punished him in some way. Mostly for little things.”
“He was told not to speak in Hebrew. To whisper. [even that] In English.”
Mikhail said of the reunion: “The first one was very emotional. We expected it to be a lively, joyful reunion, but instead he got down on his knees and cried and we were very moved.”
Dmitry said his brother feels indebted to Israel. “He says he doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve this generosity, when he hasn’t done anything. So he feels an obligation to pass this kindness on to the next person and help others benefit too.” [hostages] Outside. ”
Israeli Army/Distribution via Reuters
Among the hostages rescued was 27-year-old Kozlov.
With the rescue of the four hostages, 116 people are believed to remain in Gaza after the October 7 attack, of which 41 are believed to have been killed.
Mikhail said he was in favor of securing the release of the remaining hostages by any means, including negotiations or further military action.
“If we can come to an agreement, if an agreement will help get them released, we should do it,” he said. “If we can run an operation like this again, it should be an operation to free hostages. We need to do everything we can to get these people back to their families.”
Doctors treating the four Israeli hostages rescued on Saturday said they had been beaten while in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
“It was a truly gruesome experience, with horrific abuse almost every day,” Dr. Itay Pesak told CNN. “Every hour, they suffered physical, mental and other abuse that was beyond comprehension.”
Pessac said the eight months they spent in captivity “left a serious mark on their health,” and that although they appeared healthy at first, they were all malnourished. “They had no protein, so their muscles were extremely wasted and because of that, their other organs were damaged.”
The hostages said they had been moved repeatedly, with several guards to deal with them, and that food and water supplies were erratic.
“There have been periods when they have very little food, and periods when they have been a little better, but overall the combination of psychological stress, malnutrition, not having enough food, not having the right kind of food, medical neglect, limited space, not seeing the sun, and all of that really takes a toll on their health.”
The testimony is the latest insight into the conditions under which Hamas is holding hostages, with others having previously detailed their ordeals.
Keren Munder, her mother and her 9-year-old son were among dozens of hostages released during a temporary ceasefire last year and endured days with only pita bread to eat, according to their cousin, Merav Mor Labib.
Both Mander and his mother lost between 6 and 8 kilos in weight.
Another hostage, 72-year-old Adina Moshe, endured “horrific” conditions during her captivity, her nephew said, adding that she was denied basic facilities such as showers.
Israel launched its war in Gaza following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage. Since then, Israeli military operations have killed more than 37,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, sparking a humanitarian crisis.
