The head of the IDF’s foreign hostages team, Lt.-Col. A., has said that some foreign hostages were beaten to death in Hamas captivity in an interview with Ynet.
Discussing the specific cultural issues that come with handling the cases of foreign hostages, Lt.-Col. A. said that due to a “language gap,” some of the foreign hostages held by Hamas were beaten to death.
“There is a language gap here,” A. told Ynet. “You can’t speak Hebrew or English with them, and that’s not an easy challenge. Think about the Hamas people who have to talk to the hostages, some of whom were beaten to death in captivity because they didn’t understand what Hamas wanted from them. This is unimaginable.”
The remaining foreign hostages range from Thai to Tanzanian, all of them either agricultural students or workers.
On October 7, 35 foreigners were kidnapped: 31 Thais, a Nepalese, a Tanzanian, and a Filipino citizen.
Different countries have different approaches to hostages
A. described the cultural differences between some of the foreign hostages, saying that each country has taken a different approach, but that often similar difficulties can arise.
“We must remember that the vast majority are [rural] villagers, without passports, some have never boarded a plane. We, as a country, proposed this and even financed it, but there is also a cultural issue here, and each country has its own policy.”
“Culturally, it must be said, it’s a completely different relationship. With the Thais, the official decision was that all dialogue with their families must be done through a Thai official who is in contact with me on a daily basis.”
“There is [also] Bipin Joshi‘s family from Nepal who we’re in contact with. You have to understand that in order to talk to their families, you send the cousin to drive two hours to the mountainous area, open the cell phone and translate for the family.”
“I am also in contact with Lolito, the father of Joshua Loito Mulal,” he told Ynet. “In the end, this is a family of villagers in a remote district in Tanzania whose child went to study agriculture, planned to open a dairy farm, and got into a [difficult] situation. I talk to him once every two or three weeks. I have the personal, moral and political obligation to tell him: ‘Listen, we’re back in the fighting, we’ve brought back bodies.'”
Five foreign hostages remain in Hamas captivity, of whom three are believed to be dead.
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