Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag have been home for almost a day after 477 days in Hamas captivity, and the accounts of their ordeal are beginning to surface.
In conversations the returning soldiers had with their families, it was revealed that they had limited access to news via Al Jazeera and radio broadcasts. "Daniela saw what was happening here; she knew people were fighting for her," said Inbar Dadon, mother of Roi Dadon, Daniela's partner, in an interview with Israel Hayom. "They saw the efforts of the families, the mothers. Her mother is a strong woman, a lioness, who led an incredible process until she could finally embrace her daughter again."
Video: The Returning Hostages Reunite with Their Families. Video: IDF Spokesperson
Daniela's aunt, Eti Schwartz, spoke this morning (Sunday) with Keren Neubach on Kan Bet, saying: "I can't share much, but I was told she ate a pita or two a day until their stomachs swelled. Sometimes they cooked, but they wouldn't eat from it. She was in a tunnel, in darkness, but at least they were together—that was their luck."
Regarding the Arabic they learned, which proved useful, she added: "They learned fluent Arabic, conversing with their captors and even with the captors' children." Karina Aryev's Arabic teacher shared with Israel Hayom: "Throughout this period, I hoped that her knowledge of Arabic helped her there. I hoped it was a tool she could rely on. On the one hand, it's heartbreaking that she used the language in such tragic circumstances, but on the other, it's a skill she had, and I hope it served her well. Even if it was just to understand what was said around her or to ask for something - it mattered."
