Eden Yerushalmi Family Calls Her Captivity “Inhuman” As Details Emerge

The sisters of Eden Yerushalmi, an Israeli woman kidnapped by Hamas and later killed, shared heartbreaking details of her captivity with CNN, describing the “inhuman” conditions she endured. Yerushalmi was abducted during the October 7 attack on Israel at the Nova music festival and was held in an underground tunnel in Gaza for months before her body was found by the Israeli military.

Yerushalmi’s body was one of six recovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in late November. Her sisters, Shani and May, revealed they had received proof on three occasions that Eden was alive, with the last communication occurring just three weeks before her death. The IDF later informed the family that Eden was shot at close range and had marks on her hands from attempting to defend herself.

The sisters described the grim conditions of the Hamas-run tunnel where Eden was held, stating captives could barely stand or sleep, had no access to proper sanitation, and had very limited food. “I don’t know if I could be in there a day,” Shani said.

Yerushalmi’s death, along with five other Israeli captives, has sparked widespread anger in Israel, especially regarding the government’s handling of the crisis. Over 1,200 Israelis were killed, and 250 were taken hostage during the October 7 attack, while more than 40,000 Palestinians have died in the ensuing conflict.

Eden, a 23-year-old Pilates instructor and bartender, was remembered by her family as a warm and courageous person who fought to survive 11 months in captivity.