The mother of Segev Kalfon, an Israeli hostage held in Gaza for more than 640 days, said Thursday she is holding onto hope as new negotiations over a potential hostage release deal continue.
Kalfon, 27, was abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Nova music festival near Re’im in southern Israel. His mother, Galit Kalfon, said she has been living through a “terrible roller coaster” since then.
“Sometimes it feels like things are moving further away, other times closer,” she told Ynetnews. “What comforts us is that things are happening. That gives us a little hope—something we’ve hardly had in almost two years.”
The Israeli government is reportedly weighing a phased agreement that could see some hostages released in exchange for a pause in fighting or other concessions. Kalfon said her son’s condition requires urgent attention and that his name must be included in any initial group freed.
“Segev was kidnapped while suffering from post-trauma. He’s a combat veteran with PTSD and has an old orthopedic injury,” she said. “Of course we’re worried about whether he’ll be in the first group of 10 to be released.”
Kalfon questioned the logic behind a partial deal, saying it unfairly divides hostage families.
“I don’t understand it,” she said. “Both paths lead to the same outcome—ending the war. That’s what Hamas wants. Why should some families be told their loved ones are coming home, while others are left behind? We’ve all become one family.”
Kalfon said she submitted her son’s medical files to the authorities two weeks after his abduction, requesting that he receive the treatments he was on before he was taken. “I begged them to make sure he’d get his medication. But nothing reached him. They didn’t get any of it.”
She also shared testimony from Ohad Ben Ami, a former hostage who had been held with Segev and was released in a previous exchange. Ben Ami reportedly told the family that Segev’s condition had deteriorated and urged that he be released as soon as possible.
“He said Segev can’t take it anymore. His mind is breaking,” Galit Kalfon said. “Segev viewed Ohad as a father figure. He needed him during his nighttime panic attacks. Ohad told us Segev would have dissociative episodes, fits of rage—things he couldn’t describe.”
She said Segev is being held under especially harsh conditions. “His group was among those kept in the worst conditions in Gaza. All the officials know it. Everyone there is exhausted, starving, beaten. They all need to come home. But Segev went in already traumatized. I can’t imagine what he’s been through.”
Kalfon urged Israeli decision-makers to act responsibly. “I hope those working on the intelligence file and those deciding who is released take everything into account. That they be responsible and ethical. That they—not Hamas—decide who comes home.”
She also referenced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with U.S. officials and families of hostages in Washington on Wednesday. “They met last night, but due to the time difference, I haven’t had a chance to speak with my husband yet,” she said. “I know the prime minister asked to meet with the families who were there.”
She said the meeting was reported to have been positive, though not personal. “From what I know, it was a good meeting. They were optimistic.”
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Kalfon ended with a message to Israeli ministers who oppose the deal. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone—not even them. If their child were there, I doubt they’d speak this way. I hope they wake up every morning regretting what they’ve said. It’s awful. I hope they come to regret it.”
As of July 2025, out of 50 hostages held in Gaza, roughly 20 are still believed to be alive.