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Tal Shoham, who was released from Hamas captivity after 505 days, spoke on Friday morning at an event at the UN headquarters in Vienna, sharing details of his time in captivity. He also spoke about fellow hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, who remain held in Gaza.
"There were many times that we received just one pita bread for an entire day," he said, detailing the lengths they had to go to for basic amounts of food. "We begged our captures, flattered them. Even agreed to give them massages. Anything for another crumb of food. Traumatized by hunger, we collected crumb after crumb. Dividing every grain of food after careful counting. I would sometimes spend an hour ensuring the fair distribution of every ounce.
"You might assume this is the situation throughout Gaza. But the terrorists holding us always had abundant food, including fresh vegetables and fruits. Guards tortured us daily, both physically and mentally. Sometimes, we were in darkness so profound we could not see our hands in front of our faces. Meanwhile, next door, Hamas terrorists enjoyed a well-lit, air-conditioned room with plentiful food."
Shoham drew a clear moral distinction between Hamas and the West: "My brothers who survived beside me all these months remained there. They are fighting for their lives. Held by cruel terrorists while we in the free world bear the responsibility to do everything we can so that they will be able to embrace their loved ones. The first crucial step to make this happen is to understand who we are facing. Who are these terrorists holding these hostages? I have my beliefs and you have yours. But what unites us is our belief in humanity and the right to live."
Tal described his abduction during the October 7 terrorist attack as terrorists infiltrated his kibbutz. "We locked ourselves in the safe room. Thee women, thee children and two men. The terrorists broke into the house and tried to blow up the metal door of the safe room. My son, only 8 years old, hid behind me, asking in a trembling voice, 'Dad, are we all going to die?' My answer was short and factual, not at all emphatic. 'I don't know,' I answered truthfully. I didn't want that the last thing he will hear from me would be a lie. He began to cry. That was the last thing I said to my son before we were kidnapped.
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Tal Shoham speaks to Fox News about captivity
(Video: Fox News)
"Throughout all 505 days in captivity. I prayed that sentence would not be the last thing my son would ever hear from me. After the terrorists broke through the safe room window, they took me out first. The scene before my eyes was horrifying. Dozens of terrorists were all over the once peaceful neighborhood. They had not come to fight armed forces, but to massacre unprotected civilians."
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Shoham spoke of the uncertainty of his family's fate. "For 50 days I did not know what had happened to my family—my wife and two children. Had any of them survived the massacre in Be'eri? Was their fate the same as so many friends and neighbors? Children, women and men who did not survive the evil Hamas unleashed on our community and many other communities.
"During those 50 days in isolation, shackled and starved, it was not ordinary hunger, but survival hunger. Where a crumb becomes your entire world. Where your body itches constantly from hunger pains. Thoughts of my family hurt even more, giving me no peace. I mourned them. I said goodbye to them. And I mentally grieved each one of them separately. Then, on the 50th day, came a miracle. A terrorist brought me a letter from my beloved, saying they had been kidnapped but were about to be released. This was the first time I allowed myself to cry."
He then shared about his joint time with Golboa-Dalal and David in captivity: "On day 34, two human skeletons entered my room—Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, whose families are sitting here with us now. They told me about the 34 days bound with zip ties that cut into their hands and flesh—leaving scars they still bear today. Days when they were beaten, forced to sit facing the wall with bags over their heads. I was at least able to move.
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A screenshot from a Hamas propaganda video showing hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David watching fellow captives being released
"If I thought my hunger was extreme, I learned there was even worse when I heard what they endured. Their thirst was so intense that they would drink the salty, foul-smelling toilet flush water, contaminated with metals and filth.
"From that day until my last day in captivity, we were together, suffering physical and mental torture. In an act of deliberate cruelty, the terrorists forced Guy and Evyatar to watch me being released. Why, I ask you—why would any human go to such lengths to inflict such torment on fellow human beings? Thinking of how they must have felt in those moments breaks my heart."
Tal Shoham was released after 505 days in captivity as part of the latest prisoner exchange deal. On October 7, he was kidnapped along with seven members of his family, who were released in the first hostage exchange deal, including his wife Adi and their two children, Naveh and Yahel.