Doron Steinbrecher, 31, who was held for 471 days in Hamas captivity, is speaking publicly for the first time about her abduction from her home in southern Israel, the moment she was taken to Gaza and her growing frustration that 50 hostages remain in captivity over nine months later.
“I was hiding under the bed, whispering to my mom on the phone, when I heard them yelling ‘Iftah al-bab’ — ‘Open the door,’” Steinbrecher recalled this week during a visit to her damaged apartment in the youth neighborhood of Kibbutz Kfar Aza. “Then I heard the window open. I knew they were inside.”
To avoid being seen, she placed two laundry baskets over her head. “One of the terrorists came into the room and said, ‘No one’s here.’ But then they came back. They realized someone had to be there because the fridge had been pushed against the door. They shot at the bed — it missed my head. Then they lifted the mattress and saw me.”
Four armed men pulled her out, lifted her onto a shelf and took her out through the window. “They didn’t even take the car,” she said. “They just trashed it. One of them was really angry.”
Steinbrecher was one of more than 240 people abducted on October 7 when Hamas-led terrorists infiltrated Israeli border communities. She was released in late November as part of a temporary cease-fire and hostage deal that also freed Emily Damari and Romi Gonen.
“I knew I was being taken to Gaza and just hoped they wouldn’t kill me,” she said. “I tried to resist, to delay things, hoping someone would come — but no one came.”
She was forced into a Toyota vehicle, seated between two men, with two others in front. “They took a selfie — like a trophy photo. On the way to Gaza, I shut myself off. I told myself: just survive. Let them do whatever they want. Just stay alive.”
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Asked if she considers herself a survivor, Steinbrecher responded: “No. I can’t stand that word — or ‘hero.’ I didn’t overcome anything. I didn’t win anything. I lived. I happened to come back because I was born a woman. Gali and Ziv Berman were taken from the same neighborhood. They didn’t come back.”
She said no government official has contacted her since her release. “But even if they had — what would it change? If I thought meeting someone would bring them back, I’d reopen every wound I have. That’s why I went all the way to [U.S. President Donald] Trump.”
“It’s been nearly two years. That’s not normal,” she said. “They deserve to come back and rebuild their lives. I came out after 471 days. It’s been almost 200 days since then and they’re still there. It’s insane. What kind of world are we living in?”
“When I hear people downplaying this, I want to tear my hair out. We’re screaming. We were there. We’re telling you what’s happening. Why won’t anyone listen?”
To those who oppose a hostage deal, fearing it could lead to another October 7-style attack, she said, “Fine. Let’s bring them back first. Then deal with everything else. There’s no higher priority. We’re a culture and religion that sanctifies life. So bring them back. What did they do to deserve this? What did we?”