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.
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From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 26, 2023
