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Family of Freed 12-Year-Old Boy Describes Horrific Abuse of Child Hostages by Hamas, Gazan Civilians
Eitan Yahalomi, 12, walks with his mother at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, after being released from Gaza where he was kept hostage following the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in Israel. Photo: Spokesperson unit of Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS
The aunt of a 12-year-old boy who was released from captivity in Gaza on Monday night has revealed disturbing details of threats and psychological abuse inflicted on her nephew by Hamas terrorists, which included forcing him to watch videos of the atrocities committed on Oct. 7.
In an interview with French TV channel BFM, Eitan Yahalomi’s aunt, Devora Cohen, said, “Whenever a child hostage cried, the terrorists would threaten them with rifles to silence them.”
Yahalomi, a dual Israeli-French citizen, was released on Monday, 52 days after his abduction, as part of a temporary ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas.
“Perhaps I was naïve, but I wanted to hope that they were treating him well,” said Cohen. “I was wrong. They are monsters.”
For the first 16 days of captivity, Yahalomi was left in solitary confinement in a room underground, his grandmother, Esther Yahalomi, told the Haaretz daily.
After a month he was joined by other child hostages at a different location, which was much easier for him because his kindergarten teacher was also there. But the children were forced to watch the Oct. 7 massacre — in which Hamas-led terrorists murdered over 1,200 people across southern Israel and took more than 240 hostages — on film in silence, and any cries they made resulted in threats at gunpoint.
“The Hamas terrorists forced him to watch films of the horrors, the kind that no one wants to see, they forced him to watch them,” Cohen said.
Yahalomi’s arrival in Gaza was also met with hostility from Palestinian civilians, who subjected the 12-year-old to physical abuse, Cohen said.
“When he arrived in Gaza, all the residents, everyone, beat him. He is a 12-year-old boy,” she said. “We’re talking about a child of 12.”
Yahalomi was initially captured along with his mother and two sisters, but they successfully escaped and returned to Israel, while Eitan was transported into Gaza on a separate moped.
His father, Ohad, who sustained gunshot wounds during a shootout with Hamas terrorists, was also taken captive and remains in Gaza.
Separately, Thomas Hand, the father of 9-year-old Emily Hand who was released by Hamas on Sunday evening, opened up about his daughter’s condition over the last two days.
In an emotional interview with CNN, Hand said Emily was barely audible.
“The most shocking, disturbing part of meeting her was she was just whispering. You couldn’t hear her. I had to put my ear on her lips,” he said. “She’d been conditioned [by her captors] not to make any noise.”
When Hand asked Emily how long she thought she had been in captivity, she said she had been held hostage for an entire year.
“Apart from the whispering, that was a punch in the guts. A year,” Hand said.
Hand added that his daughter cried herself to sleep.
“Last night she cried until her face was red and blotchy; she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want any comfort. I guess she’s forgotten how to be comforted,” he said. “She went under the covers of the bed, the quilt, covered herself up and quietly cried.”
Hamas is making efforts to change its image in light of the widespread awareness of its barbarity. This includes directing released hostages to smile and wave, as observed in videos of the hostages being transferred to Red Cross vehicles, which include audible directives by the masked terrorists to “keep waving.”
Some in the international media seem to have fallen prey to Hamas’ theatrics. Responding to an Israeli report that Yahya Sinwar — the Hamas leader in Gaza and mastermind behind the Oct. 7 massacre — met with Israeli hostages and told them in Hebrew that “nothing would happen” to them, veteran Sky News journalist Dominic Waghorn posted on X/Twitter that it “undermines the Israeli Hamas = ISIS storyline.”
Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar met with the Israeli hostages a day after they were taken in tunnels under Gaza and told them they would not be harmed and would be returned as part of a hostage deal. Undermines the Israeli Hamas = ISIS storyline.
— Dominic Waghorn (@DominicWaghorn) November 28, 2023
Waghorn went on to claim that the hostages were “held in reasonable conditions, reportedly, though those held above ground lived with the fear of being killed in Israel’s bombardment.”
The post Family of Freed 12-Year-Old Boy Describes Horrific Abuse of Child Hostages by Hamas, Gazan Civilians first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
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Melbourne Police Investigate Wave of Antisemitic Attacks, Including Synagogue Arson
Illustrative. Vandals defaced the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia on June 22, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – A wave of antisemitic incidents across Melbourne is under urgent investigation by Victoria Police, after a synagogue was set alight, a Jewish-owned restaurant targeted by protesters, and a third attack saw multiple cars torched at a business in the city’s northeast.
The third incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. Saturday at a business on Para Road in Greensborough. Offenders set fire to three vehicles and sprayed graffiti on both the cars and a nearby building wall. One car was destroyed, and two others sustained moderate damage.
“There were references of antisemitism in the graffiti,” Dunstan confirmed, adding that the business had previously been linked to pro-Palestinian activism.
While police say no direct link between the three incidents has been established yet, they are not ruling out the possibility of coordination.
The attacks began Friday night, when a man was seen pouring a flammable liquid on the entrance of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and setting it alight around 8 p.m., while around 20 people were inside for Shabbat services. Worshipers quickly evacuated through the back, and the fire was contained to the front of the building. No injuries were reported.
Police have released an image of a suspect believed to be in his 30s, of Caucasian appearance, with a beard and long hair.
Just hours after the synagogue arson, a protest of around 70 people moved through Swanston Street before a smaller group gathered outside Miznon, a popular Jewish-owned restaurant in the CBD, chanting offensive slogans. One man was arrested and later released on summons for hindering police.
In response to the series of attacks, federal agencies including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) have joined the investigation.
“This is disgraceful behavior by a pack of cowards,” said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. “Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate. Any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism. There should be no hesitation in calling this what it is.”
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Trump Says Iran Has Not Agreed to Inspections, Give Up Enrichment
US President Donald Trump speaks at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday.
“I would say it’s set back permanently,” Trump said as he traveled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House. “I would think they’d have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.”
Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel.
The U.S. and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.
Iran’s parliament has passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg (880 pounds) enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
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