Hostage's Mother Reveals He's Being Held Above Ground in Gaza City

The mother of hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal has revealed that she was informed her son is being held above ground in Gaza City and is being used as a human shield. Merav, the mother, made the heartbreaking announcement, stating, "This is the bottom of the bottom. We cannot breathe." She said she received confirmation that her son is being held alone, above ground, just over a week after Hamas released a video of him.

Merav shared distressing details she learned from recently returned hostages. She said her son is on a "speech fast" because he isn't being given enough water. She also noted that a long-sleeved shirt was put on him in the recent video to hide his "insane thinness." The video, which showed him and fellow hostage Alon Ohel, contained a plea from Guy to be brought home.

The revelation about Guy being used as a human shield comes as the IDF is preparing for a deeper ground manoeuvre into Gaza City, where it is believed hostages are being held. Military officials have informed the families of live hostages that while all precautions will be taken, a military source admitted that the operation "clearly endangers them." The source said it's difficult to predict how Hamas will act, whether they will use the hostages as human shields or even kill some of them. The lack of precise intelligence on their location makes the risk even greater.

Merav expressed her deep despair, saying she thought being a hostage's mother was the worst nightmare, but now she knows the truth is even more devastating. She recounted her son's previous traumatic experience, when he and another hostage, Avitar David, were cruelly shown their friends being released, only to be sent back into captivity. She said she has pleaded with ambassadors and prime ministers to help, crying out, "What happened to us as human beings? How should a hostage look for someone to understand that they need to be taken out of there?" She ended her emotional appeal with a plea for the fighting to stop for the sake of the hostages and the soldiers.