Gadi Moses, 80, was released after 482 days in Gaza captivity. He shared chilling details of his captivity—how he negotiated with his captors for books and TV, endured poor hygiene and food shortages, and discovered that his wife had been murdered on October 7.
Moses, who was released on Thursday, told his family about the inhumane conditions he endured as a hostage. He revealed that he could feel firsthand when food was available in Gaza and when it was not. Hygiene was a constant struggle, with limited showers and unsanitary conditions.
To preserve his sanity, Moses developed a strict survival routine—taking daily walks, solving math puzzles, and holding imaginary conversations with loved ones.
Hamas guards controlled his access to news
Moses explained that he negotiated with his captors to be allowed to watch television. At times, he was able to see footage of the protests demanding his release.
“There were moments when they let him watch, and moments when they didn’t. It was sporadic,” his nephew, Shai, told Walla. “But from what we heard from Margalit, who was released in the first hostage deal, there were moments where, despite everything, when you’re alone with a guard, it becomes a human-to-human interaction. Even though there was always a power imbalance, some form of negotiation was possible.”
As part of his dealings with his captors, Moses managed to obtain books in English, including one on environmental issues and another about Islam.
Discovering his wife’s murder while in captivity
While imprisoned, Moses learned that his wife, Efrat Katz, had been murdered by Hamas on October 7. He overheard the news—either from a radio broadcast or through subtle hints from his captors.
“At some point, he realized he had to stop hoping for immediate rescue and focus on surviving each day,” Shai explained. “He trained himself to think differently, to keep going, and to avoid the crushing disappointment of not being freed the next morning.”
To stay mentally and physically active, Moses developed rigid habits. He paced his room, counting floor tiles to measure distances, and solved math problems in his head.
Upon his release, Moses made it clear: his top priority is to restore Kibbutz Nir Oz, which Hamas terrorists devastated on October 7.
“This kibbutz is his life’s work,” Shai said. “He has been there since he was 20, built it with his own hands, and he cannot bear to see it in ruins.”
Since his abduction, Moses’s family has been at the forefront of hostage-release advocacy, blocking major roads and intersections to pressure the government.
“He knew we were fighting for him, that we weren’t giving up. It was incredibly uplifting to hear that,” Shai said. “We led this fight with a small hope that he would see us. If we managed to give him strength for even one day in that nightmare, then we did our job.”
Now free, Moses and his family are calling on the Israeli public to keep up the pressure for the release of all remaining hostages.
“The hostages see and hear us,” Shai emphasized. “The world sees and hears us. The majority of Israelis support a deal, and we must make sure that is visible. We must fight until the last hostage comes home.”
The moments of his release
Moses’s emotional reunion with his family was captured in a powerful video, showing the 80-year-old embracing his grandson, Arbel Yehud. The Red Cross transfer was tense, with crowds gathering around the convoy as it moved through Gaza.
“When we saw the video of Gadi hugging Arbel, we finally breathed a sigh of relief—he was on his feet,” Shai recalled. “We knew he was strong, but he is also 80. The last footage of him in December showed him standing, but exhausted and frail. Seeing him embrace Arbel—his warmth and fatherly presence—it was a moment of clarity: this was really Gadi.”
Now that Moses is free, his fight isn’t over.
“He is already thinking about the next steps,” Shai said. “But first, he needs to recover. Soon, he will return to the fight—not just for himself, but for every hostage still in Hamas captivity.”
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