Chana Katzir, 76, who returned from captivity in Gaza over a week ago, is now hospitalized in serious condition.

Her daughter, Carmit Palti-Katzir, said that her mother’s health deteriorated due to the harsh conditions she was held in.

“When my mother was abducted, she had no heart problems and now she has serious heart problems due to the severe conditions [in Gaza] and starvation,” she told Army Radio on Wednesday morning.

“Today is my mother’s birthday and she is hospitalized in serious condition. We davened to celebrate with her but she returned brokenhearted and with cardiac problems.”

Sadly, Katzir, a resident of the Nir Oz kibbutz, discovered that one of her sons was murdered while she was in captivity – during one of the few times that she was allowed to listen to Israeli radio broadcasts. And then upon her return to Israel, she was informed of her husband’s murder. Her husband, Rami Katzir, H’yd, was murdered on October 7th but apparently, it did not occur in front of her. Her son Elad, 47, was also abducted to Gaza and is still in captivity.

Katzir, a mother of three children and a grandmother of six, worked for years caring for the children of Kibbutz Nir Oz.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)