"Bon Appétit — We Just Killed 30 of You": Hostage Survivor Elkanah Bohbot Recounts Hamas Psychological Torture
Hostage survivor Elkanah Buchbot reveals how Hamas terrorists used a lavish meal as a tool of psychological torturem serving hostages a feast, then showing them footage of IDF soldiers killed in combat and saying: "Today we killed 30 of yours, bon appétit."
Hostage survivor Elkanah Buchbot, who returned from Hamas captivity in Gaza, has shared a harrowing account of psychological warfare he endured at the hands of his captors, in an episode of the "Voice of Nova" podcast.
Among the most disturbing moments he described began with an unexpectedly lavish meal. Hamas terrorists brought the hostages a full mandi, a traditional Arab dish of lamb shank over basmati rice, slow-cooked underground, described by Buchbot as "the richest meal in Gaza." For hostages who had barely received water, the sight of such a feast was overwhelming.
"I didn't ask questions - I just started eating before he could change his mind," Buchbot recalled. But when the hostages thanked their captor for the generous meal, the Hamas terrorist responded with chilling cynicism: "Let me show you what real respect looks like. Let me show you why you ate that."
The terrorist then played a video showing an IDF engineering unit being struck by an explosive device. "He shows you the video and says: 'Today we killed 30 of yours - bon appétit,'" Buchbot recounted.
The revelation that the meal had been a calculated act of psychological cruelty left a lasting mark. "You want to throw it all up," he said. "I had never experienced abuse like that in my life."