Footage of Elma Avraham's abduction
Former hostage Elma Avraham, an 84-year-old resident of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, was filmed being kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre and during her time in captivity. In the videos, obtained by Ynet and published with her family’s permission, Avraham is seen being forcefully instructed to exit the kibbutz gate by a terrorist while he films her.
"Yalla, Yalla, (go, go)" the terrorist is heard saying as Avraham tries to squeeze through the partially open gate. She is seen holding a bag of medication that her daughter had instructed her to take to the safe room of her house, and her right hand is bandaged. Later, the terrorist can be heard speaking to her in Arabic.
In another video, filmed during her captivity by Hamas terrorists, Avraham is seen addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and asking him to "make peace" in a statement that was likely dictated to her by her captors.
In the video, Avraham says, "Mr. Bibi [Benjamin] Netanyahu, please make peace. We'll support you if you believe in us and make peace with us. All of us together. No more fighting, only peace."
Avraham was released in the third phase of the first hostage deal after more than seven weeks in Hamas captivity. In a photo from the massacre that went viral, she was seen being led to Gaza on a motorcycle by two armed terrorists.
Avraham was hospitalized in critical condition immediately after her release with her life in danger. She was discharged from the hospital only after 163 days in the hospital.
Elma’s daughter, Tal, criticized the International Committee of the Red Cross at the time, accusing its members of refusing to deliver her mother’s medications, which she urgently needed. She spoke about her mother’s condition after being released from captivity. "My mother didn’t deserve to return like this; she was medically neglected throughout her time in captivity," she said.
"She didn’t receive life-saving medications and arrived just hours before we lost her. I can say on her behalf that she arrived with a pulse of 40 and a body temperature of 28°C (82.4°F), semi-conscious and covered in wounds. She was abandoned twice – once on October 7 and a second time by all of the organizations that were supposed to save her and prevent this situation," she added.
Professor Hagai Levine, who heads the health team for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and has accompanied Elma since her return, commented on the video, saying: "In the video, we see Elma’s condition at the moment of her abduction and we all know how she returned after 51 days and the issues she still suffers from."
According to Levine, "Elma’s story is one of triumph; she brought her own medications (which weren't provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross) and managed to recover," but "her videos in captivity are painful and raise serious concerns about the condition of those who've been held hostage for 332 days."
"They don’t have any more time. Elma wouldn’t be alive today if she hadn’t been released in the November deal, and that’s the situation for the remaining hostages as well, those who were kidnapped with illnesses and those who were healthy. Just as we wrote in the report marking 300 days since their abduction, the chances of survival for the hostages are steadily decreasing," he added.