Israeli hostage briefly escaped Hamas before locals handed him back to terrorists: family

One of the recently released Hamas hostages had previously escaped imprisonment and survived for days in the rubble of Gaza before locals recaptured him, according to a report. 

‘He tried getting to the border. But he didn’t have the capacity to understand where he was or where he needed to go, so he couldn’t navigate through the open field,’ Ron Krivoi’s aunt, who spoke about his struggle during an appearance on KAN’s Reshet Bet radio on Monday morning. 

Russian-Israeli Krivoi departed Gaza as part of the third group released as part of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas brokered through Qatar. Both parties agreed Tuesday to extend the cease-fire by two days, conditional on the release of more hostages. 

The 25-year-old was working at the Supernova festival on Oct. 7 as a sound technician when Hamas terrorists attacked, according to The Times of Israel. Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally requested Hamas include Krivoi in the second wave of released hostages as part of a separate deal. 

Krivoi’s aunt claimed that he had not remained imprisoned the entire time, having briefly escaped and survived for four days in the ruins of the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported.

She explained that Hamas had kept him in a residential building during his imprisonment, but then the Israel Defense Force’s bombing had collapsed part of the building and allowed him to escape. 

Krivoi remained on the run for four days, but locals managed to finally locate and recapture Krivoi, after which they handed him over to Hamas terrorists.

His aunt described her immense relief after his release, revealing that when she asked him if he had any nightmares, he said, ‘Yes, I have nightmares about the party and from being in captivity, but everything is alright now.’ 

‘He has some other injuries as well,’ his aunt said, describing wounds he suffered from the building’s collapse and a head wound. ‘He is under medical observation, but he is okay.’ 

Eleven Israeli women and children, freed by Hamas, entered Israel Monday night after more than seven weeks in captivity in Gaza in the fourth swap under the original four-day truce, which began Friday and was due to run out.

Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released. After the announcement by Qatar, Hamas confirmed it had agreed to a two-day extension ‘under the same terms.’

Monday’s releases brings the number to 51 Israelis freed under the truce, along with 19 hostages of other nationalities. So far, 150 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.