Former Hostage Says: “There Was A Betrayal That Led to Oct. 7”

Adina Moshe, a 72-year-old mother of four and grandmother, was at her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.

Hamas terrorists shot her husband, ripped off her jewelry, and carted her away to Gaza, where an “innocent civilian” on the street ripped off her glasses. She was held in difficult conditions until she was released in the November hostage release deal.

Even the moments of her release were terrifying as hundreds of “innocent Gazans” threw rocks at the Red Cross car that transferred the hostages to Egypt.

Adina, a former teacher, acted with great courage before her release when she unsuccessfully tried to convince her Hamas captors to release older hostages, in worse condition, to go home instead of her.

Adina was interviewed this week on Kan Reshet Bet and asserted that “there was a betrayal” that led to October 7.

“I have claimed and continue to claim that it was a betrayal,” she said during the interview. “Someone, some high-ranking official or some person very connected to the army, decided to take action. In exchange for I don’t know what, maybe payment? That’s my feeling.”

Adina explained that she came to this conclusion because of the total lack of IDF forces at the border area on that day. “I lived in the border area at Nir Oz for 54 years. Since Operation Cast Lead [2008-2009], there hasn’t been one day where there were no soldiers on guard. On Shabbat and Chagim and Yom Kippur, there were always soldier patrols 24/7. That day I thought maybe they killed all the soldiers but I didn’t see any dead bodies.”

Adina, who was held in the tunnels, described how miserable it was: “The feeling is that you’re going to strangle at any moment. The humidity is unbearable; it’s not cold for them, it’s just hot. So when they say ‘the hostages are still in the tunnels, they’re cold’ – don’t worry, they’re not cold. It’s incredibly hot, dripping sweat from everywhere. It stinks. And the oxygen level is very low.”

“I’m still in the tunnels, I don’t leave there and I don’t leave the house except for interviews,” she added. “I don’t even meet with people from my community. It’s hard for me – everyone has gone through something terrible – it’s hard for me to bear their experiences too.”

One of Adina’s most difficult challenges when she got home was mourning her husband of 52 years, Sa’id Dovid Moshe, H’YD, and learning to live without him.