Freed Israeli Hostage Tal Shoham Speaks Out After 505 Days in Captivity
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — After enduring 505 days as a hostage under Hamas militants in Gaza, Israeli citizen Tal Shoham is finally free — and sharing his powerful story of survival, hope, and resilience.
“There were many moments when I didn’t expect to survive another night,” Shoham, 40, told The Associated Press. “You realize there are countless ways to die there.”
Kidnapped alongside his family during the October 7, 2023 attacks at Kibbutz Be’eri, Shoham faced starvation, physical abuse, psychological warfare, and months of uncertainty before he finally saw freedom.
Life in Captivity
Shoham spent months confined inside apartments in Gaza, chained and subjected to daily threats. Later, he was transferred into Hamas’ underground tunnel system — a suffocating maze thirty meters beneath the earth where oxygen and hope were both in short supply.
To survive, Shoham relied on mindfulness exercises his psychologist wife had taught him. His bond with fellow hostages, whispered conversations, and a precious letter from his wife affirming their survival helped him endure the darkness.
“The only thing I had power upon was my inner life,” Shoham said. “And I refused to surrender it.”
Freedom and Advocacy
After his release in February 2025, Shoham began rebuilding his life. He quickly regained weight lost during captivity and reunited emotionally with his family, especially his young children, whose voices he calls “music to my ears.”
But Shoham’s mission has not ended. He now advocates fiercely for the remaining Israeli hostages believed to still be held inside Gaza. “If they are not released soon,” he warns, “they will die there.”
Further Reading:
- Hope Amid War: Families Reunited
- Inside Gaza’s Tunnels: Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds
- Mental Health in War: Coping Strategies
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