Released hostage Gadi Moses would have debates with his Hamas captors about the ownership over the land of Israel, had spent the last two months of his captivity with two Thai hostages, and knew about the release of hostages in the first deal that occurred, Walla learned on Saturday morning.
Throughout his captivity, during which he was mostly alone, Moses sought ways to alleviate his boredom. This included talking to his Hamas captors, discussing Islam and political issues, and engaging in arguments where each side claimed that the land “was theirs.”
At one point, his captors asked him, “Where are your parents from?” When he answered, they told him, “Go back there.”
His captors also claimed that their people lived in the land of Israel before the Jews, to which Moses responded, “We had people in these places 3,000 years ago. What are you talking about?”
After being given books on Islam and other political issues, he struggled to read them without glasses—so he demanded that his captors find some for him, and they complied.
Without electricity, Moses would go to sleep at sunset and wake up before sunrise at around 3 a.m. Occasionally, he heard Israeli bombings, some of them close by.
“It was very scary for him,” said his son Yair in an interview with Walla.
For most of his 482 days in captivity, he was alone in a small room. Towards the last two months, he was held with Thai workers who had been kidnapped from the Gaza border area.
“Finally, he had other people with him. They tried to talk a little and mainly just be together, communicating through hand and eye gestures,” Yair added.
“Most of the time, they treated him with respect. When they ate, they ate with him. He was not scared, except for a few moments. Most of the time, it was just boredom—hours of doing nothing. He was able to piece together a picture, learned about what was happening in Israel, and occasionally watched Al Jazeera. He knew about the destruction in Gaza,” Yair recounted.
His captors even told him when buildings he had stayed in during his captivity were destroyed.
Moses heard about the hostage deal in November 2023 and knew the names of those who had been released.
“He was excited for them that they were getting out. Of course, he wanted to as well, but he was more happy for them,” said Yair. “He came back in much better shape than we could have imagined. We knew he was a strong man. Mentally, we weren’t worried—physically, we were.”
Not recognizing his son at first glance
“The emotions are intense,” Yair continued. “My father didn’t recognize my beard—it was the first thing he noticed. He hadn’t seen me on TV, only the other family members. He asked me, ‘What’s with the beard?’ I told him I hadn’t cut my hair or shaved until he came back. He was shocked. We told him we were waiting for him so I could shave.”
Gadi Moses’s niece, Efrat, shared that “You feel the tension slowly dissipating from your body, especially knowing there are still others who need to return. It’s a process, and we respect his privacy. We’re so lucky. Throughout this whole time, I kept saying that we are a nation that cherishes life, and now we really understand what that means. Some people will return alive, some won’t, but even that will bring some relief to all of us.
“I ran down the hallway, and hugging Gadi was incredibly emotional—a moment of pure elation,” she said about their reunion. “Now the whole country understands what we meant when we said how amazing he is. He represents the essence of Israel. These are the people who build and will continue to build our country—we cannot exist without them. Seeing him hold a coffee cup again with two fingers, crossing his legs, all these small gestures—it was incredible.”
“He watched TV and listened to some radio,” Efrat continued. “His captors told him when I was interviewed on television. They recognized my earrings and thought I was his daughter. Despite all the joy, we must remember that there are still hostages who need to come home, and the rehabilitation process is very long. We will get through this together. It was all very challenging for him. Being an 80-year-old man in captivity is difficult—sleeping on a mattress, getting up from it, not getting fresh air or sunlight. Everyone should try to imagine their uncle or parent in that situation.”
Jesus Christ is King
