81-year-old Gadi Mozes, who was recently freed from captivity in Gaza , endured abuse while being held hostage and discovered, while listening to the news, that the terrorists had lied to him and that his partner, Efrat Katz, had been murdered. According to a report in Ynet on Wednesday, Mozes only occasionally listened to the news while in captivity and during those times, he used the opportunity to gather fragments of information about the victims of the October 7, 2023 massacre. He also said that the protests calling for the release of the hostages gave him hope for the days ahead. On one occasion, the terrorists claimed that his partner, Efrat Katz, had sent him regards. However, Katz had been murdered in the massacre, and he discovered this while listening to the news. "He realized he couldn’t believe anything they said," his daughter-in-law, Einav, recounted. Unlike other hostages, Mozes was held alone. "He had to lift himself up on his own. It was something he deeply missed. Today, he meets many family and friends, and sometimes we tell him, 'Maybe slow down a bit with the visits,' and he says – 'I’m thirsty for the human connection, for human warmth,'" said Einav. On the meeting on the day of his release with Arbel Yehud , who was released at the same time as him, Mozes’ family said it "was a very emotional encounter. Gadi talks about her a lot since then and about how meaningful their meeting was, in that moment before the release when he held her in his arms." Related articles: Freed hostage Eliya Cohen visits family of fallen soldier Prepare for talks to release 11 hostages Romi Gonen and Emily Damari honored at Bloomfield Stadium Captivity survivor Tal Shoham: I refused to kneel "It wasn’t just about meeting an Israeli or a Hebrew speaker for the first time in 16 months; it was like meeting a family member. Arbel is like a granddaughter to him. Her father worked with Gadi for several years, and they were friends. Her grandparents are among the veteran members of the Kibbutz, and of course, he knows them well. They’ve spoken on the phone since then, and Gadi wants to give her the time she needs." "Gadi endured many difficult moments and days; he faced a horrific reality in substandard conditions, psychological terror, and starvation. Sometimes he ate a piece of dry pita, sometimes with hummus, and sometimes he didn’t eat anything for 24 hours. Despite this, he found ways to keep himself going – cognitively, mentally, and emotionally. He managed to lift himself up time and time again."
