The father of Hisham al-Sayed who was released on Saturday after dealy a decade in Hamas captivity said the decision by Hamas to free his son without holding the same kid of public 'ceremony' held for all other Israeli hostages upon their release was to hid the dire condition he was in.
Hamas claimed it had opted not to release al-Sayed with a public display, out of respect for his Palestinian roots and in honor of his family who are members of the Muslim Bedouin sector in Israeli society.
Shaaban al-Sayed said in an interview with Ynet that he struggled to cope with the state his son was in. "He is broken, and his condition is severe," he said. "He is not in good shape. He barely speaks, and when he does, it’s in a whisper, with his head lowered."
Hisham reunited with family
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The father said Hisham who has struggled with mental illness, may have been held in isolation. "He was in a torture camp. They didn’t want people to see the state he is in, which is why there was no ceremony. Hamas are liars. If they truly respected people, they would have released him long ago. As a Muslim, I am furious at Hamas."
Al-Sayed was released in Gaza City and handed over to the Red Cross at a location separate from the other hostages who were freed hours earlier. "His condition is very bad," the father said. "For those who know the movie Tarzan, where he lives with animals—it’s something like that. The problem is, he can’t express what he wants or where he was. We can’t communicate with him. I prayed he would return like he used to be. He was a normal person, communicative, but he had schizophrenia," he said.
"His life has been destroyed. The doctors are shocked but don’t want to say much. They are trying to assess and define his current state. He was in limbo—it’s hard for me to describe it. He has a bruise here and there, and we’re trying to figure out what it is, but he is deeply humiliated. He has no personality left. He is ruined. They abused him, especially mentally. Not with beatings or lashes, but mentally he is broken. He’s not a person anymore. When we saw him walking on his feet, it encouraged us. But during our first meeting with him, after the initial hug, I realized he wasn’t responding, and that was when I broke. It was the first time in years that I cried."
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Doctors at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, where Hisham was taken said it was a privilage and obligation to care for Hisham and Vera Mengistu, who were both held hostage for an extensive time. "The circumstances of their prolonged captivity and their return after so many years create significant complexities," they said adding they were facing challenges unlike any they had encountered.
Professor Gil Fire, hospital's deputy director, explained: "According to initial examinations, both Hisham and Avera arrived in generally stable physical condition, which allowed them to meet their families after a prolonged wait. We will continue to assess their condition in the coming days and beyond, as their situation reflects not just physical challenges but also profound mental and emotional ones."
Hisham and Avera were released on Saturday alongside Eli Cohen, Omer Wenkert, and Omer Shemtov, who were kidnapped 505 days ago from the Nova festival. Tal Shoham, who was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri, was also released on Saturday from Hamas captivity.