Shoshan Haran says Be’eri community was naive about Hamas before attack
- Israeli former hostage Shoshan Haran stated that her community was naive about Hamas prior to the October 7, 2023, attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, France 24 reported.
- Before the attack, residents of Kibbutz Be'eri maintained regular contact with the nearby Gaza Strip.
- When I say they, I mean Hamas, with their declarations and their speeches and their writings.
Israeli former hostage Shoshan Haran stated that her community was naive about Hamas prior to the October 7, 2023, attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, France 24 reported. Haran, an agronomist and founder of the NGO Fair Planet, was taken captive from her home and held in Gaza for 50 days before her release on November 25, 2023.
Living in Kibbutz Be’eri Before October 7, 2023
Before the attack, residents of Kibbutz Be’eri maintained regular contact with the nearby Gaza Strip. People from the enclave worked within the kibbutz, and many local residents drove sick children from Gaza to Israeli hospitals for medical care.
First of all, we were naive. We didn’t really believe that they want to kill us all. Although they were explicit about it. When I say they, I mean Hamas, with their declarations and their speeches and their writings.
Shoshan Haran
Captivity in Gaza and Rejection of Weakness
Haran was held for 50 days alongside her daughter, her sister-in-law, and their children. During her captivity, she viewed herself as a liaison between her family and their captors, drawing inspiration from books written by Holocaust survivors.
By body language and eye contact, I was able to kind of demand respect.
Shoshan Haran
She also rejected international accusations of genocide against Israel regarding the devastation in Gaza, calling the claim a lie during her interview.
The claim of genocide is a lie. It is a war, a very cruel war.
Shoshan Haran
Release and the Loss of Avshalom Haran
Upon her release on November 25, 2023, Haran learned that her husband, Avshalom, and her sister had not been abducted, as she had feared, but were murdered on October 7. Her son-in-law Tal, who was held for 505 days in Gaza tunnels, later relayed her husband’s last words to her.
It was a pleasure to live.
Avshalom Haran
Rebuilding Life in Another Kibbutz
Haran is currently rebuilding her life in another kibbutz as her memoir, Mission in Captivity, is released in English. She noted that she misses her late husband every day, minute, and second as she adjusts to life after captivity.