After 505 days in Hamas captivity, Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, and Eliya Cohen returned to Israel and told of the horrors they endured in Hamas' tunnels.

The four were held in especially harsh conditions, and suffered from intentional starvation, physical and mental violence, and were forced to spend long months in complete isolation.

According to a report by Channel 12, Eliya Cohen said that he spent most of his time in captivity with hostages Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Alon Ohel, but suffered severe abuse. He was shot in his leg, did not receive appropriate medical care, and the handcuffs caused him deep wounds and severe cuts.

Cohen was also bound hand and foot for extended periods of time. During long months, he did not stand up, and was held with the other hostages in subhuman conditions. Hamas starved them intentionally, ate in front of them, and left them without basic food. He was held in a dark tunnel, and only sometimes the terrorists brought a flashlight for a few hours.

Omer Shem Tov recounted that at the start of his time in captivity, he was held together with Itay Regev, who was released in a November 2023 deal. After Regev's release, he was held alone for a long period, suffering from complete isolation and disconnected from the outside world.

Shem Tov lost 17 kilograms due to extended starvation, and was transferred between tunnels and apartments. During these transfers, he was forced to dress as a Muslim woman. He was brought down into the tunnel in a small bucket, where he sat most of the time, and his hands were bound. He was cursed at and spat on by his captors. Shem Tov tried to keep Jewish traditions, and sometimes even made "kiddush" with the little he had. Moments before his release, Hamas forced him to kiss his captors as part of the "parting" ceremony.

Tal Shoham and Omer Wenkert were held together for eight months in subhuman conditions: They were held high-humidity tunnels, where there was no difference between the various seasons. They lost an extreme amount of weight, but in the period prior to their release they were "stuffed" with an unusual amount of food. Omer Wenkert was completely disconnected from the media.