This is the story of a life shattered by history. In her new book 52 Jours Sans Eux ("52 Days Without Them"), Hadas Jaoui-Kalderon recounts the ordeal endured by her two children, Sahar, 17, and Erez, 12. Kidnapped on October 7, 2023, in the Nir Oz kibbutz on the edge of Gaza, they were released on November 27 under the prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas.
On the morning of the attack, her children were with their father in his house. The three of them first locked themselves in the shelter, before coming out when attackers set fire to the house. They then hid in a bush, where they watched as "hundreds of civilians" ransacked and looted their kibbutz. That's when a young Palestinian spotted them. The three Israelis fled in all directions, but were captured one by one and sent separately to Gaza. Hamas first had the two children testify on camera. "Erez was then held with a family like many of the kidnapped," in a house that also served as a "weapons cache."
Erez's guard, whom Kalderon introduced as a "teacher," without saying more, "was never cruel" to her son, who turned 12 in captivity. "On the contrary, he gave him Arabic lessons and even gave him a watch for his birthday. He also took care to remove weapons from his sight, aware of the fear they could provoke," wrote Kalderon.
Men came for Erez two weeks later. "They hid him under a burqa, a systematic practice for moving hostages, to avoid endangering them if the crowd came to recognize them," said Kalderon. He then stayed in several places, before being transferred to what looked like a hospital, where he was reunited with other hostages. Kalderon told Le Monde that, from his window, Erez could see the buildings of Gaza collapsing.
Sahar's detention was even tougher. The teenager was taken to the tunnels built by Hamas under Gaza, "unable to distinguish day from night, struggling against the terrible humidity". Kalderon said that her daughter managed to slightly improve her detention conditions through insistence, such as being allowed to wash or eat more than usual. Sahar was not subjected to sexual violence; she told her mother that she saw detainees being beaten. She also saw "the most psychologically fragile screaming at all hours of the day and night, banging their heads against the walls under the laughter of terrorists who despise those they consider weak, including children."
After her imprisonment, Sahar described her state of mind in a document, which she concluded with these words: "I'm 16 and I'm not quite myself anymore. I'm 16 and, in my soul, I'm dead."