Former Hostage Eitan Horn Recounts Trauma, Criticizes Israeli Government Support
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS French by baba
Former Hamas hostage Eitan Horn spoke out one year after his release, detailing ongoing trauma and criticizing the Israeli government's support for former captives. Horn, who spent two years in Gaza, described nightmares and stated that Hamas was responsible for his suffering. He also called for a strong military response to the October 7th attacks, coupled with an investigation into intelligence failures. Horn expressed concern over his future medical care and the lack of sufficient government aid.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Former hostage Eitan Horn described ongoing trauma and nightmares one year after his release from Hamas.
- Horn criticized the Israeli government, stating "The government is not helping us enough."
- He expressed concern about future medical care and potential self-funding of treatments.
- Horn advocated for a strong military response to October 7th, followed by an investigation.
- He now relies on paid speaking engagements for income.
- Horn drew a parallel to his past leadership role, emphasizing the importance of apologizing for mistakes.
One year after his release from Hamas captivity, Eitan Horn is still grappling with the trauma of his two-year ordeal in Gaza. Speaking on i24NEWS Hebrew, Horn described experiencing nightmares and stated he would never forget his time as a hostage, holding Hamas responsible for his suffering. Reflecting on the October 7th attacks, Horn believed Israel should have responded forcefully before negotiating hostage releases. He advocated for a strong military response combined with an investigation into intelligence failures. Horn also expressed disappointment with the support provided by the Israeli state to former hostages, stating, "The government is not helping us enough." While acknowledging he wasn't entirely abandoned, he now relies on paid speaking engagements for income and is concerned about future medical care. He warned that without swift legislation to provide financial benefits through the National Insurance Institute (Bituah Leumi), he might have to self-fund his treatments within two years. When asked if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should apologize and accept responsibility, Horn deflected, saying he was unsure if it would make him feel better. He drew a parallel to his past experience in informal education leadership, where he would apologize first to understand mistakes.
