Tel Aviv, April 27: In a chilling account, Noga Weiss, an 18-year-old Israeli woman, has revealed her traumatic experience during a 50-day captivity in Gaza following a hostage deal last year. Weiss recounted that one of her captors from Hamas proposed marriage, presenting her with a ring and asking her to stay back in Gaza and have his children.

According to the Times of Israel, the ordeal began on October 7, when Hamas-led militants launched a full-scale attack on Israel, reaching Weiss's home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Her father, Ilan Weiss, joined the emergency response but was tragically killed, and his body was taken to Gaza. Amidst the chaos, Noga Weiss and her mother, Shiri, were forced into hiding. Despite their efforts, both were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Israel-Hamas War: Israeli Defence Ministry Demands Release of at Least 33 Hostages To Prevent Rafah Attack.

Throughout her captivity, Noga was moved between various locations, disguised in a hijab and coerced into feigning marriage to her captor to avoid suspicion. She described a volatile environment where captors would oscillate between playing cards with their hostages to threatening them with guns.

The captor's declaration of love and the subsequent introduction of a marriage proposal to Noga's mother, who was also held captive, added a bizarre twist to their already dire situation. Despite her mother's refusal, the fear of being left behind in Gaza haunted Noga. 'Journalist by Day, Terrorist by Night': Israel Defense Forces Accuses Al Jazeera Reporter of Working as Hamas Leader, Share Pics.

“People don’t understand the feeling of fear. I was 50 days, 24/7, with the thought that they would get tired of me and just shoot me that they wouldn’t need me in the end, or that they would shoot us while we slept in the middle of the night. On the day of my release, seeing soldiers in IDF uniform, it was the first time [since October 7] that I felt safe, so that did change something,” Noga said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2024 04:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).