In the months since they were taken hostage by Israel and holed up in the Gaza Strip, Andrei Kozlov’s captors have been preaching the same message: The world, they say, has given up on him. Even his family moved away.
“Your mother is on vacation in Greece,” the militant told him. “Your mother doesn’t know you at all—and doesn’t want to know.”
His parents said in interviews this week that they were so persuasive that when Israeli security forces burst through the door of the apartment where Kozlov was being held on Saturday, he was initially unsure whether they were coming to save him or kill him. Got him.
Mr Kozlov’s eight-month captivity comes after an Israeli doctor reported that while he and three other rescued Hamas hostages appeared to be in good condition at first glance, tests showed all were malnourished. Dr. Itay Pesah, head of the hostage repatriation medical team at Sheikh Medical Centre, said all had suffered varying degrees and intensity of abuse.
“They were subjected to multiple forms of abuse, punishment and torture, both physically and psychologically,” he said.
Dr. Pesage said the hostages he examined had lost a lot of weight but gained some, and their muscles were “extremely wasted.” Malnutrition, confinement, lack of sunlight and the stress they experience can have long-term effects on their health, he added.
Hamas says it treats the hostages well compared with Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners, a claim that Israeli officials deny.
Sheba Medical Center on the outskirts of Tel Aviv was the first stop for dozens of captives kidnapped in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. . In November, more than 100 people were released in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel. Israeli authorities say at least a third of the approximately 120 captives remaining in Gaza have died.
Saturday’s rescue operation was accompanied by intense airstrikes, causing heavy casualties in communities where hostages were being held. Local health officials estimated the death toll at more than 270, including children, but did not say how many were militants.
In Gaza, the deaths have heightened despair in the enclave, where officials say at least 36,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. In Israel, the rescue operation boosted public sentiment but also served as a reminder of the plight of the hostages still being held.
“He said it was very difficult,” said Kozlov’s mother, Evgeniia Kozlova. said in an interview with the New York Times. “It’s hard to put into words.”
Kozlov’s family said that for much of his time in captivity, militants bound his hands and feet so tightly that they left marks on his body. Kozlova said they also told Kozlov, a 27-year-old Russian-Israeli, that his government had concluded that the hostages were a burden.
“They told Andrei to keep quiet because they, the hostages, were a problem for Israel,” she said. “They say Israel can solve this problem any way it wants, including killing the hostages so they don’t have to think about them anymore.”
Kozlov’s mother said Kozlov only went out at night, when he was being moved to a new location.
Dr Pesach said it was crucial to allow newly freed hostages to make their own choices after months of letting others make decisions for them. But in their first hours of freedom, he said, they seemed to long for something else: to see the sky.
“We learned that we need to get them out the first night they come here,” Dr. Pesage said.
Mikhail Kozlov said that a few months ago, when he and his wife discussed whether they wanted to rescue his son through military operations or release him through a diplomatic agreement, they both favored an agreement. But he said since no deal had been reached, they wanted to bring him home in any way possible. He expressed condolences for the deaths of Palestinian civilians during the rescue operation.
“If it’s possible to avoid these victims, that’s even better,” he said.
