British relatives of hostages held in Gaza say they feel mentally tortured by Hamas releasing a handful of their captives and the speculation that more could follow.
Ayelet Svatitzky’s Israeli mother, Channah Peri, 79, and British brother, Nadav Popplewell, 51, were abducted by Hamas gunmen on 7 October. Her older brother, Roi Popplewell, was among more than 1,400 killed in the attack.
Svatitzky is especially fearful for her diabetic mother amid reports that foreign hostages could be freed.
Speaking at a news conference at the Israeli embassy in London, she said: “They are talking about releasing all the foreigners and not releasing Israelis. I believe it is part of the psychological war that Hamas is playing with us.”
She added: “It’s really scary that if my brother is released, my mum will be left without him.”
She dismissed reports that up to 50 hostages could be released as “rumours”. She said: “We haven’t seen those 50 people [come] home yet. For me, it just touches a nerve, a really painful one.”
The press conference came as No 10 said at least 12 British nationals were killed by Hamas and five are suspected of being among the hostages.
Ofri Bibas Levi is a British-Israeli whose brother, Yarden, 34, was filmed being beaten over the head as he was taken hostage. Video also emerged of his wife, Shiri, and their two children, Ariel, who is four, and Kfir, who is nine months, being held by gunmen.
Levi said news of the release of two hostages over the weekend and two more on Monday created more pain than hope. She said: “Every time something like this came up in the media, it is really torture.”
She said the last time she saw her brother was in video footage, with blood pouring from a gash to his head as he was led away by a man wielding a blood-stained hammer.
She said: “It’s like living in a nightmare. And the pictures keep running in front of my eyes.”
Asked what message she would give to Hamas, Levi said: “We don’t speak the same language and I’m not thinking about Arabic. Children should not be part of this war. Innocent people in Gaza shouldn’t be part of this war.”
David Bar’s sister-in-law, Naomi Shitrit, 53, a dental assistant and mother of three, was murdered by Hamas as she went out for a run on the day of the attack. He told the press conference: “Anyone’s release is a sigh of relief, but it’s a game. It’s the way a terrorist movement works; it keeps people in anguish.”
Levi spoke of her fears of the expected ground invasion by the Israeli army. “I know that a ground invasion can cause a lot of casualties of innocent people on both sides.
“I know that, at some point, they will have to go in because we must bring an end to Hamas. It is scary to think that they could go inside [to Gaza], but I trust that it will be in the best interest of our families.”
Svatitzky said she could not mourn for her older brother until her other brother and mother were freed.
“I try not to deal with the loss of my brother because I find it too painful. It would break me and I don’t have the privilege of breaking because I have a mission – we’re trying to get the hostages home.”
She added: “We demand the return of our loved ones so we can start grieving for this trauma.”
Svatitzky said her life stopped on 7 October when the hostage takers used her mother’s phone to post a Facebook photograph of her and Nadav Popplewell being held by gunmen. The caption read “Hamas”. Since then, she says, days of the week have become numbers. “So today is day 18,” she said.
Svatitzky held up a picture of her mother. “This is my mum. She was supposed to be in London now on a holiday. We’ve had the tickets and a hotel booked. On Sunday we had to cancel everything because they’re in Gaza.”
She added: “My mother needs insulin shots; I don’t know if she’s getting them and how long she can survive without them. I’m clinging to the hope that my mum knows how much I love her because I never got the chance to tell her.”
Bar, who grew up in Leeds, said: “We have no quarrel with the Palestinian people and my heart goes out to them. We don’t want to see bloodshed on either side.
“We’re not on a revenge mission. We’re on a mission that needs to take evil out of Israel. It [Hamas] needs to be eradicated. And the Palestinian people also need to be free from Hamas.”
