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Ex-hostage: ‘When there’s less food, there’s also less for the hostages’ in Gaza

27 5
28.07.2025

As Israel has announced steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid in Gaza, a former hostage described what that could mean for captives held by Hamas.

Iair Horn, a dual Israeli-Argentinian citizen who spent a year and a half in the terror group’s captivity, said hostages could tell when more aid was available because they would receive more food.

“When there’s less food, then there’s also less for the hostages. When there’s aid, there’s a possibility you might get a cucumber,” said Horn, 46.

Hamas terrorists kidnapped Horn from his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with 250 other people, during the group’s October 7, 2023, attack. He was released on February 15 this year after 498 days in captivity. For most of that time, he was held in an underground cell in a tunnel with several other hostages, including his brother Eitan Horn, 38.

Since his release, Iair Horn has deferred his own recovery to fight for the release of his brother and the other 49 hostages still being held in Gaza, of whom at least 20 are still believed to be alive.

“I’m not a politician, and I’m not getting into those things because I don’t understand them,” Horn said. “What I understand is very simple: I want my brother back.”

Horn’s comments came as Israel, facing mounting international pressure over reports of starvation in Gaza, took several actions to increase the distribution of aid across the enclave, including 10-hour “humanitarian pauses” in fighting in population centers. The new policy was instituted shortly after weeks of negotiations in Qatar over a ceasefire and hostage release broke down.

Hearing that negotiations between Israel and Hamas were once again at an impasse over the weekend was devastating for his family, Horn said. Since his release, he has made four trips to the US, where he has met with President Donald Trump and other American leaders to plead for the hostages.

He wasn’t sure what to make of a comment Thursday by Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, who said the US would consider “alternative........

© The Times of Israel