Almost a month has passed since Eitan Yahalomi, 12, returned from captivity in Gaza to his new reality: his father Ohad is still in captivity and he has a new home on a kibbutz in Emek Hefer with his mother and sisters. On Tuesday morning, he took another step back to normal life and began seventh grade at the local school.

After Eitan’s return, his aunt, Devora Cohen, revealed harrowing details of his captivity, including the fact that his captors forced him to watch videos of the October 7th atrocities and the terrorists pointed rifles at any child who cried to shut them up.

Eitan has recovered a bit from his ordeal and revealed more details about what he endured to Ynet.

On the morning of October 7th, Eitan was abducted with his mother Batsheva, and sisters, ages 10 and 18 months, from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His father was wounded and remained behind with the terrorists [and was later abducted]. Eitan was put on one motorcycle, Batsheva and the girls on a second. The terrorists began driving towards the Gaza Strip but when they approached the fence, they spotted an IDF tank and Batsheva’s driver panicked. In those moments, Batsheva managed to flee with her girls but Eitan’s driver continued into the Strip.

The motorcycle passed through crowds of civilians as they entered Gaza and Eitan said that the “innocent” Gazans on the street beat him and other hostages. “It was terrifying,” he said.

He was held alone during the first few days of his captivity. “It was very bad, scary. I sat in bed the whole time, that’s the only thing I did. The captors didn’t let me move, only go to the bathroom. They let me listen to the radio a bit. I don’t like it and I never heard it before but it was nice to hear things in Hebrew.”

Afterward, Eitan was transferred to another location where other hostages were being held. “I met a good friend from the kibbutz,” he said. “We made cards and drew the numbers on them so we could play ‘war.’ I also drew cars, mainly racing cars. I also wrote about what happened each day, especially ‘special days.’ If I was moved to another location, that was a special day.”

When he was hungry, he sometimes had to wait six or seven hours until he was given one meal: pita with a pickle or rice, which he called “disgusting.” He fantasized about the food from home, picturing hamburgers and his father Ohad’s filled grape leaves.

He wasn’t sure what had happened to his family. “They told me that my mother had been abducted. At times, they told me that they would take me to be with her soon and then I had hope. I imagined what was happening to them and I tried to talk to them in my head. I was afraid that something might have happened to them. The terrorists would also tell me that my kibbutz no longer existed and that there was no more State of Israel.”

Eitan only realized that his mother hadn’t been abducted when he first arrived back in Israel after his release. “We were told the night before that we were being released. I was happy but I didn’t believe it would happen until it did. I didn’t know that my mother was doing things for me to come back, I thought she was also abducted. It was only when I got out of the van that they told me she was waiting for me. I was happy and asked how it could be that she was there.”

He misses his father and is waiting for him to return. “I worry about him. I remember the booms of the explosions, it was really scary. I think that he hears them also and maybe it scares him.”

Please daven for a yeshuah for Ohad ben Esther and all the hostages.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)