Israeli hostages Noam (17) and Alma (13) were told during release that their mother had been murdered: “A traumatic moment” | Israel-Palestine conflict

50 days: that’s how long Noam and Alma Or were stuck in Gaza. All this time, brother and sister were looking forward to one thing: seeing their parents again. The family was torn apart on October 7 during the bloody attack by Hamas on the Israeli Kibbutz Be’eri. The terrorist group murdered 120 of the 1,100 inhabitants. Dozens of others, including Noam and Alma, were taken to the Gaza Strip.

Last Saturday, the nightmare finally came to an end for the two teenagers: Noam and Alma were released. “But what the children didn’t know was that my sister – their mother – was murdered on October 7,” their uncle Ahal Besorai told the American news channel ‘CNN’.

“When they crossed the border and reunited with their grandmother and older brother, they were immediately confronted with the news that their mother was no longer alive. That was a terribly emotional and traumatic moment for them,” says Ahal. In addition, the father of the family is also missing. He is probably still being held in Gaza.

Ahal does not want to reveal details about what Noam and Alma experienced in captivity. “But it wasn’t pleasant to say the least, it was awful,” he says. The two teenagers were held in a room with a woman who was also from Be’eri.

Noam and Alma did not realize at first on Saturday that they were being released, it is said. “The terrorists handcuffed and blindfolded them and took them to a car. It took them to the place where they were handed over to the Red Cross,” says Ahal. The woman who was trapped with them was left alone.

“As they walked hand in hand to the Red Cross aid workers, Noam told his sister that he felt bad because they were surrounded by Gazans. He said: ‘I feel guilty because they have to stay here and we can go home’.”

According to Ahal, his nephew and niece are doing well given the circumstances. He does fear that the teenagers will be traumatized by the hostage situation. “I wonder what they feel deep inside after this terrible event. It is very difficult for me to estimate,” he says.