The family of one of the Israeli hostages who were recently freed from the Gaza Strip after being held there for eight months has disclosed details about their son's time in captivity.
Andrey Kozlov, one of four hostages freed in an Israeli military operation on Saturday, was tied up for two months during his captivity, his mother said in an interview with Israeli broadcaster Kan on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old man, who is originally from Russia, was abducted on October 7 from the Nova music festival, where he worked as a security guard, according to Israeli media.
Kozlov's mother told Israeli news website ynet that her son had shared with her that he had gone through experiences that he did not want to discuss.
According to his parents, he took comfort in being held together with two other hostages, who were also freed on Saturday. The fourth hostage, an Israeli woman, was rescued from a nearby building.
The mother reported that her son's hands had initially been tied behind his back, adding that he was later gagged with his hands in front of his chest, which seemed like a relief to him.
According to the report, his father stated that his son initially feared that the Israeli special forces freeing them would harm the hostages. Several media outlets reported, citing Kozlov's parents, that the men were told that Israel wanted the hostages to die.
Kozlov's girlfriend told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that the three men had been held captive in four different apartments. She said in October and November last year, they had very little to eat and they were only allowed to shower once a week.
