Hamas forced child hostages to watch ‘horror film’ of Oct. 7 massacre, family says

The aunt of a child hostage who was freed on Monday described how Hamas treats the children they hold captive, revealing that her nephew “experienced horrors” in Gaza.

Deborah Cohen, the aunt of 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi, told French news outlet BFM TV about the physical and psychological “abuse” children suffered at the hands of Hamas.

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“Every time a child cried, they threatened him with a gun to keep him quiet,” Cohen said.

Cohen revealed that the children were forced to watch a “horror film” mashup of the footage from the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on southern Israel that claimed the lives of over 1,200 civilians.

She also told BFM TV that when her nephew, Yahalomi, arrived with the other hostages in Gaza, “All the civilians, everyone hit him. We’re talking about a 12-year-old child!”

Yahalomi was one of three Franco-Israeli children to be freed on Monday as part of Israel’s deal with Hamas to release hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

His grandmother, Jocelyne Goldapper, expressed “joy” and gratitude for the fact that “he will be able to live his life as a child that was stolen from him.”

As Yahalomi and the other child hostages freed from Hamas recover, Cohen said her nephew will be undergoing psychological treatment.

“How can you feel good about an experience like that?” she asked. “He’s a calm child; it’s going to take him time to let his emotions out.”

Thomas Hand, the father of another child hostage freed by Hamas, 9-year-old Emily Hand, described to CNN the arduous road to recovery his daughter faces following her release.

He said that Emily cries herself to sleep at night, won’t stop whispering, and thought she was in captivity for a year even though it had been less than two months.

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“Last night, she cried until her face was red and blotchy; she couldn’t stop. She didn’t want any comfort,” Hand said. “I guess she’s forgotten how to be comforted.”

Emily Hand was at a sleepover when the Oct. 7 massacre took place. She was initially believed to be among the dead before it was revealed that she was one of the hostages.