RONZHEIMER. Politics and War Inside the Terror: An Israeli Hostage’s Ordeal with Hamas
Mar 30, 2025
Raz Ben Ami, an Israeli woman who survived 54 days as a captive in Gaza, shares a raw first-person account. She recounts the October 7 attack, being taken at gunpoint, life under strict control, and the fear of transit into Gaza. She also speaks about her release, the campaign to free those still held, and her calls for international pressure to help bring everyone home.
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Kidnapped From Bed And Transported Into Gaza
- Raz Ben Ami was pulled from her bed, forced into a shelter, then taken at gunpoint onto a motorbike while barefoot and in pajamas.
- She watched burning cars and crowds as civilians in Gaza hit and celebrated while captors held a gun to her head.
First Hours In Gaza Interrogation And Forced Hijab
- Within 15 minutes of entering Gaza Raz was placed in a small room and interrogated by an older man who spoke Hebrew.
- She learned her captors were Hamas and was asked personal details while being made to cover her head for the first time.
Hostage Conditions Were Deliberately Degrading
- Hostages were kept in dark, cramped civilian houses with minimal food, water, hygiene and strict silence to avoid detection.
- Raz endured 54 days without showering, same clothes, and constant fear of lynching if they tried to escape.