Ditza Or, the mother of hostage survivor Avinatan Or, spoke about the harsh conditions her son endured during his two years in Hamas captivity, and about his return to life.
According to her, her son was held in a cell measuring less than two meters long and the width of a single mattress: "He was shackled and chained to the bars, and even when they gave him food, they demanded that he turn to the wall so that he wouldn't see the person who was putting food on his plate."
Or later described her son's sophisticated escape attempt, which was carried out after months of meticulous planning: "When half his body was already above ground inside a house in Gaza, they discovered him, and pulled him back inside - and then he was beaten. It's not clear how he survived that."
Or said that her son experienced severe mental abuse, but was careful to maintain his daily routine and the sequence of time in captivity: "He remembers every day. What happened on the 80th day, on the 409th day... He is very focused."
She also spoke about the abuse of the other hostages, which she said occurred following media publications: "When the fabricated video of the rape case in Sde Teiman was published, many of them were severely beaten."
According to Or, after the Military Advocate General, Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, resigned, Or called for an intense inspection: "She needs to go from one hostage to another and apologize for all the abuse he suffered because of her. The damage on all fronts was very serious."
Or praised her son and said that although he was not directly exposed to the media, he understood his situation very well: "It was clear to him that it was the state's duty to ensure that October 7th would not happen again."