Israeli mother's anxiety for hostage son worsened by state of those freed

By Michal Yaakov Itzhaki and Eli Belzon

As Israel anxiously awaits the possible release of more hostages held by Hamas on Saturday, Niva Wenkert recalls a video of her son Omer half-naked, tied to a truck and being beaten, one of about 250 people abducted by Palestinian militants.

More than 16 months later, Nava is still waiting for her son's release. Three Israeli hostages released last Saturday and paraded by Hamas appeared thin, weak and pale, raising concerns that Hamas was mistreating Israeli captives.

Seeing their state, Wenkert said, was like a punch in the gut: "I'm afraid that Omer's life is danger, every minute, every second."

Hamas and the smaller Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said they would free three hostages on Saturday, lifting a threat to suspend releases indefinitely.

That appears to put a ceasefire deal back on track, calling for the release of dozens of Israeli hostages over 42 days in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas had accused Israel of violating the truce, while Israel had said it would restart the war unless hostages were freed on schedule.

So far 16 Israeli hostages and five Thai migrant workers have been released. Israel has said Omer was among the remaining hostages expected to be released in the first stage of the deal.

"I just want to hug him, smell him, tell him 'You are at home, Mami (sweetheart), you are safe'," she said. "I'm just waiting for him to come back, I'm waiting for him."

In a bedroom closet, his clothes remain sealed in plastic bags, untouched since October 7, 2023 when Omer, 23, was abducted from the Nova music festival in southern Israel.

"Everything is ready. We are waiting for him."

Hamas-led gunmen killed some 1,200 people in the October 7, 2023 attack and took more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Around half of the hostages were freed in a week-long truce in November, 2023, and others have been recovered dead or alive during the war. Seventy-six are still being held, of which Israel believes around half are dead.

The offensive Israel launched in response in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated much of the enclave.

Some former Israeli hostages who spent months in Hamas' underground tunnels were fed only three dates a day and shared half a liter of water among several people.

"They have no light, most of the time it is darkness," said Wenkert based on accounts from hostages.

"The conditions are very, very bad. They do their needs in a bucket, they don't take a shower. This was for 54 days… since then, I know nothing."

As the ceasefire hangs in the balance, thousands of protesters across Israel are demanding the government do whatever it takes to bring the remaining hostages home.

"I promised myself, that I will be a good enough mother for Omer and I promised him that I will take care of him every moment til I die," said Wenkert.

"Hamas took this promise and I can't do anything with it. This is something that I never, never, thought that can happen to me."