Starved, Now Marvelling at Abundance
Quarter of a Pita: The Horrors Freed Hostage Nimrod Cohen Endured
Former Hamas hostage Nimrod Cohen's mother reveals the brutal conditions of his 40-day captivity, including severe food deprivation and being handcuffed to a door handle.
The mother of recently freed hostage Nimrod Cohen has shared heartbreaking details of the brutal conditions her son endured during his 40 days in Hamas captivity, contrasting his suffering with the simple, overwhelming joy he now finds in the freedom of his own kitchen.
Vicky Cohen, Nimrod’s mother, spoke publicly today about her son’s ordeal, providing a visceral glimpse into the deprivation and psychological hardship imposed by his captors.
Tied to a Door Handle and Starved
Nimrod Cohen, who was released as part of an earlier ceasefire agreement, was subjected to extreme measures of control and starvation almost immediately after his kidnapping.
Vicky Cohen revealed the shocking restrictions placed upon him:
“They tied him with handcuffs, blindfolded, to a door handle, and gave him a quarter of a pita a day.”
The account underscores the deliberate use of physical restraint and severe dietary restrictions as tools of psychological warfare by Hamas against the captives. Forty days of such extreme deprivation left deep scars, even after his return home.
Marvelling at Abundance
In a poignant contrast to the "quarter of a pita" that sustained him for over a month, Vicky Cohen shared how her son is now reacting to the simple presence of food and freedom.
“Now he goes down to the kitchen between meals just to marvel at the abundance,” she said.
This detail highlights the profound and often overlooked psychological damage inflicted by starvation and confinement. For Nimrod, the ability to access food freely and look upon a stocked kitchen is a powerful, almost therapeutic affirmation of his liberty, transforming an ordinary home space into a place of wonder.
Nimrod Cohen’s story joins those of other freed hostages, offering a painful yet vital reminder of the inhumane conditions many endured during their time in Gaza, and the long road to recovery, both physical and emotional, that lies ahead.