The families of the hostages held a protest gathering in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, during which they presented troubling testimonies from the hostages who had already been released.

Moran Stela Yanai, who was captured and later released by Hamas, commented: "I was a prize. They brought people to look at us from outside to see what they had managed to catch."

"One of the guards wanted me to look at him all the time. When he was angry, he would want me to look at him close up, so that I would remember his face quite well. He said, 'No, really, look me right in the eyes, look at me, shut your mouth and go to sleep,' and then I would go to sleep and have nightmares about him."

Sapir Cohen, another freed hostage, commented: "The strongest men are considered the weakest there, and they are subjected to the worst treatment. I am so scared of what Sasha, my dear boyfriend, is going through there."

"Every day we could be losing more and more hostages. They can't stay in those conditions, they simply can't live like that. We need to bring them home now," Cohen urged.