Hila Rotem Shoshani, a 13-year-old who was released from Gaza captivity last night without her mother, Raya, says that they were held hostage together until two days ago.
In a statement from Hila released to Hebrew media outlets that could not be independently confirmed, she says that “Mom was with me the whole time in captivity. Hamas separated us two days before the release. Mom was in good shape, we were together with Emily [Hand]. Hamas told us that there was a ceasefire and they were letting us go.”
Irish-Israeli citizen Emily Hand, 9, was at a sleepover with Hila when they were both kidnapped along with Raya on October 7.
Reports which circulated yesterday suggested that Hamas had claimed it could not locate Raya, which is why it did not release her with Hila despite promising not to split up mothers and children.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
