Freed hostage Omer Wenkert said that the Hamas youth he met while a captive were more concerned with murdering Jews than liberating Palestine.

At the closing event of the TEEN SPIRIT program by the Civilian Public Diplomacy Headquarters, Wenkert said, “Hamas terrorists are not freedom fighters. They are the cruelest terrorist organization in the world. I spoke with the young Gazans, and they don’t talk about freedom but of killing Jews.”

Among many of the challenges of captivity was the lack of information about what happened on October 7th and the reaction of the outside world.

“For most of my captivity, I had no idea of what was happening here in Israel. Immediately after they kidnapped me from Gaza, they put me in a tunnel, and from then on, I was cut off from the world and had no access to any media,” he said.

“When other hostages finally informed me about what happened on October 7th, I was certain the entire world would be shocked by what they did to us and would all try to liberate us, but this fell short of my expectations, and I remained in captivity,” Wenkert said.

Although the lack of action from the world to free the hostages disappointed Wenkert, he insisted that he never lost his faith in his fellow Israelis.

He said he knew that Israel “would do everything they could to bring us back” and declared, “The world must not forget what happened here.”

Wenkert described the horrific conditions of his captivity, including not being allowed to shower for nine months and being given a bottle of water to clean himself only once every two months.

Wenkert added that the heat was unbearable, and he didn’t think he could endure it with his colitis.

“I fantasized about standing and raising my hands, just being able to jump in place—that’s what I longed for. You realize you’re a person without freedom. I didn’t know I had the strength to survive this,” he said.

“I’m proud of myself for the way I won the battle against captivity,” Wenkert added. “I won every minute there.

Image - Jonathan Shaul/Flash90