Transcribe your podcast
[00:00:00]

Let me introduce you to a very brave woman whose heart is breaking at the moment, Eilidh Sveditsky. You have joined us from Israel. Yeah, I am. One of your brothers was killed on the seventh of October. Your mother, 79 years old, was taken hostage, finally, thankfully, released after 49 days. The older of the two brothers is still being held by her mass. Yeah. How are you coping?

[00:00:30]

Yesterday was 100 days since October 7. It's been 100 days of nightmare. We had a small break and relief when my mom was released after she was taken with My brother. But every day, it's just constant fear for the lives of the hostages who are still remaining in Gaza, my brother Nadab included. It's just constant worry and constant anxiety for the well-being. We don't have any information as for their condition. Are they being fed? Are they getting medications? We just keep praying and hoping for the negotiations to start over so we can see our loved ones home.

[00:01:26]

Tell me about Nadab. What happened?

[00:01:30]

So on the morning of October seventh, my mom and Nadab live next door to each other. And so the Hamas terrorists first walked into my mom's house. And you heard them? I was on the phone with her, and I heard them come in. So I was just telling her to go into the safe room and to lock the door. There is no lock on the door. There is no lock on the door. I don't have a safe room, so I didn't know that. And it was really early in the morning. We didn't even know at that time that you need to... Later, we heard of people who were holding the door for hours, but it was just after eight in the morning, we still didn't know they walked into the house. I heard them over the phone as I was talking to my mom. So I hung up and immediately called Nadab, who was next door, to tell him to lock himself in. And then a few seconds later, I heard them at his house. The same voices. The same voices. So I realized what had happened. And they took Nadab from his house to mom's, and they took two pictures of Nadab and my mom sitting in my mom's living room, and they sent them to me via WhatsApp.

[00:02:55]

And underneath that, it said in English, Hamas. And the third picture They uploaded to my mom's Facebook story. That picture shows a Hamas militant in the corner with a gun. And that was the last I heard of them that day until my mom's release.

[00:03:18]

Mom was held for 49 days. It was. Your brother still being held. When she was released, what did she tell you about her ordeal?

[00:03:28]

So what we can tell is that my mom was held in the tunnels for her entire captivity. She was held underground, given very little food, she's lost more than 10% of her weight. She didn't get... My mom is diabetic. She didn't get insulin or medications for her blood pressure or anything like that. So we had to help stabilize her medical situation. When she came back, she was very weak. She needed-How was she coping mentally? That's the hard part, the emotional. Physically, we can help her recover and get stronger. She does physiotherapy and everything. But emotionally, it's still a nightmare. In many ways, she's still in the tunnels with my brother because When we say the tunnels, for us, it's an image that we've built of stories that we heard or from the hostages who've been released or from before. For my mom, it's a reality that she's lived. It's the smells, it's the hunger, it's the fear. Your life at the hands of other who will decide whether you live or you die. And my brother is still there.

[00:04:58]

Ilet, we hope that you're reunited very soon. Thank you for taking the time.

[00:05:03]

I'm sorry so much for having me. Thank you.

[00:05:06]

Please take care of yourself and your mom as well, of course.Thank.

[00:05:09]

You.thank you so much.Thank you.Thank you so.