Former Hostage Details Hamas Torture and Beatings in 1st Interview

“They made us choose between each other, who to kill, who to just wound; they drew lots on us.”

By United with Israel Staff

Yosef Chaim Ohana, who was freed from Hamas captivity two weeks ago after 738 days in enemy hands, spoke for the first time on Monday about the brutality he endured and the tactics terrorists used to terrorize prisoners.

In an interview broadcast on Israel’s N12, Ohana recounted moments of spontaneous cruelty and long stretches of calculated psychological abuse designed to break the hostages’ spirits.

Ohana described one terrifying episode shortly after his capture, when an armed terrorist shoved a pistol to his head and demanded answers.

“Tell me how many people you have killed; now I will kill you,” the man shouted, Ohana recalled. He said he answered, “Zero, zero.”

The terrorist accused him of lying and raised the weapon. “Then he says, ‘Eh, you’re also lying to me,’ and was about to shoot me. At that point, some sheikh walks in, pulls him by the hand, and tells him, ‘Not now,’” Ohana said.

Other abuses were deliberate and ritualized. Ohana said terrorists staged sessions of intimidation in which they lectured prisoners about revenge and forced them to draw lots to determine who would be killed and who would be spared.

“They made us choose between each other, who to kill, who to just wound, they drew lots on us,” he said.

Ohana painted a grim picture of life underground in the tunnel where he was held. Corridors ran in both directions, and light was rare. At first, a flashlight might mean a kettle or some small relief, he said. Over time, the light became a warning.

“Once, they came, we said hello, and they suddenly began beating us. They were ordered to begin hitting us. They faced us against a wall, took off our shirts, and beat us,” he recalled.

The prisoners dubbed the moment “the flashlights are coming,” and each time a light appeared, panic seized them. “No one knew what to do; ‘Should I stand?’ ‘Should I sit?’ ‘Who will be the first to get it?’” Ohana said.

Ohana also explained how he tried to survive by appealing to the terrorists’ calculations. He said he learned what mattered to them and used that knowledge to argue that killing him would not serve their interests.

“I told him, ‘What, now you will take revenge on me so your civilians will be satisfied, but what about the prisoners who are waiting to be released in exchange from your jail, to go out and see their families? If I die, fewer prisoners will be released,’” he said.

On October 7, Ohana was at a Nova party with his friends Daniel and Neriah. The attack that day scattered the crowd. Ohana described the chaos and fleeing from gunfire. He said the vehicle beside him was struck by an RPG, and that was the last time his friends saw him until his release after more than two years of captivity.

Ohana’s account is a stark reminder of the cruelty of Hamas’s campaign against civilians and soldiers alike. His testimony adds to the mounting evidence of calculated brutality used against those taken on October 7.

The release of Ohana and others has offered a measure of relief to families and the nation, but his description of captivity hardens the resolve of many that the mission to eradicate Hamas must continue.

Ohana’s interview is the first time he has spoken publicly about his ordeal since returning home. His testimony stands as both a warning and a call to remember the price paid by those who suffered in captivity and the duty to see justice done.