Hagar Brodutch endured 51 harrowing days as a captive in Gaza, held by Hamas alongside her three young children: Uriya, Yuval and Ofri. They were finally released in November as part of the third phase of the hostage exchange deal. She recounted the agonizing experience, describing it as "hell." She confessed, "There were days I just wanted to beg the captors to end it all while we slept at night."
Brodutch was abducted from Kfar Aza along with four-year-old Abigail Edan, whose parents, Roy and Smadar Edan, were murdered on October 7. During her time in captivity, she remained uncertain whether her own husband, Avichai, had survived the Hamas attack. She cared for both Abigail and her own three children, admitting, "There were days when it simply became unbearable."
She shared her experience at a fundraising event for Schneider Children's Hospital, led by former justice minister Ayelet Shaked. "Thankfully, the children slept relatively well and didn't wake up from the constant bombings, but then my own personal hell would begin with the endless thoughts," she said.
"I would think about when we would be released, if we would be released, what would happen to my children, what about Avichai, my family, my entire kibbutz, my community, my home. It was simply days of hell.
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The Brodutch children having fun with their dog Rodney
(Photo: Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel/Handout via REUTERS)
"We were exposed to the horrors of severely injured captives, with amputated limbs, who received no medical care. They faced unbearable hunger, relentless cold and psychological terror."
In a speech delivered at a rally in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, she declared, "The agreement with us was broken. We will not have closure until all the captives are returned."