"My father and his brother were sure they were going to be killed," the daughter of Luis Har, Rinat Har Sheleg said in an interview while they were being treated at the Sheba Medical Center after their rescue from 129 days of captivity by Hamas terrorists.
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"They said they were taken completely by surprise. We of course were also unprepared and are still coming to terms with events. Dad is still in shock," she said.
"They tried to hold on to their Argentinian identity but that did not really help. I can't elaborate on what they had gone through, but the conditions were harsh."
Rinat said they were not kept in underground tunnels but did suffer from hunger. "Mostly they ate Pita bread and white cheese. There was no meat or anything else. There were days when they went hungry, but we did not really delve into that and there are things we want to keep private, inside our family," she said. "We can only wish them well. The reunion was emotional, and it has taken me time to accept that I can be near my father again. It was very powerful and joyous.
Luis Har came to Israel from Buenos Aires, Argentina when he was 17-years-old and will celebrate his 71st birthday on February 25, as a free man. His family were called at 3 am on Monday to be informed that he and his brother were rescued in the IDF operation and were told to join them at the Sheba Medical Center.
"There was shelling around them all the time," Har said. "They were sure they would be hurt by the IDF fire. They were not beaten, and it seems that they were in the hands of the same family the entire time. I am tired and the adrenaline rush seems to be dissipating. We are still trying to grasp the situation and are not thinking ahead to tomorrow and to how we will recover and move forward. Mostly we are thinking of the 134 families who are still longing for their loved ones. We will really be happy only when everyone is returned," she said.
Har Sheleg said her father is very weak and still undergoing medical tests. "It is unclear whether he was given medications. He did receive a pill for his stomach, but we don't really know. They spoke often with their captors about soccer during their captivity. I don't know if they showered, we did not ask. We want to give my father the time he needs. We are not pressing him too much, now."
She said her father was thin and so is his brother Fernando. "They lost half of their body weight," she said. "Our family is reunited but we do not for one minute forget all the 134 that are still held hostage there. We wish for all the families to have this moment and hold their loved ones near or be able to part with them honorably."
Har Sheleg said the family does not know where they will go once Luis and Fernando are released from hospital. "I did not think that they would be freed in an IDF operation and believed that the only way for them to come back was in a hostage release deal. But I was surprised, big time. We hope there would be more such operations and more hostages would come home," she said.
"We have a ways to go and I cannot feel the relief yet. My father mostly talked about how much he missed us and that he remembered each birthday. They did not watch any television or listen to the radio but for one time. He knew when my birthday was. I don't know how but he surprises us with his clear mindedness. My father is strong."
Dr. Yael Frenkel Nir, Deputy Head of the Sheba Medical Center said the two men were stable but that in the course of the day, evidence of their time in captivity and the lack of medical attention during that time, was beginning to appear.