Tal Shoham’s story of survival and resolve

Cape Town’s Jewish community and invited guests gathered recently for a rare and moving encounter with Tal Shoham, one of the longest-held hostages of the war, who shared his story of survival after 505 days in Hamas captivity.

A family torn apart on October 7, 2023
Shoham was abducted by terrorists from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, as was his wife, Adi, their two young children, and extended family members who had come together to celebrate Sukkot. While Adi and the children were freed after 50 days during the first ceasefire deal, Tal remained behind.

From civilian homes to ‘The Tomb’
Tal’s journey through captivity began in civilian homes, where he endured physical and psychological abuse at the hands of his guards. Months later, along with fellow captives, Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, he was blindfolded and taken by Red Crescent ambulance to one of the entrances of Hamas’s tunnel network. For nearly two hours they were marched underground until they reached a claustrophobic cell Tal calls ‘The Tomb’ – a space around 90 centimetres wide and 9 to 10 metres long, with only a hole in the floor as a toilet, very little oxygen and, for most of the time, total darkness. There they found Omer Wenkert, who had been held in isolation since his abduction.

Cruelty exposed 
Deprivation was part of Hamas’ torture strategy, including denying the men a sense of time. Tal and his fellow captives, however, realised they could gauge the hours of the day by the sound of heavy machinery operating nearby, 40 metres below ground, for about twelve hours a day. Incredibly, even a year into the war, Hamas was still busy expanding their terror tunnel network while crying to the world about a lack of diesel for hospital equipment, generators and ambulances. 

The cruelty Tal described has since been laid bare in newly released Hamas videos showing hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski – both gaunt, hollow-eyed, and pleading for their lives. 

In one, Evyatar is seen digging his own grave, a chilling image that underlines what Tal called the captors’ ‘calculated humiliation and starvation’ of those still inside Gaza.

Starvation was part of the cruelty. In the final days before his release, Hamas tried to ‘fatten’ the hostages being released to create the illusion of humane treatment: an image they wanted the world to see after earlier exchanges showed emaciated survivors.  

Freedom, hope and those left behind

In one of the most poignant moments of his address, Tal described how, after 50 days, he received information confirming for him that Adi and the children had survived the initial attack and would be returned home alive. That scrap of paper became his anchor to survive. Tal was freed on February 22 as part of the last hostage-ceasefire deal. 

The joy of his release was tempered by the knowledge that Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal were made to watch him leave, and remain in captivity today along with 49 others, alive and deceased. 

Since returning home from terrorist captivity in Gaza, Tal has committed himself to advocating for the return of every remaining hostage. In Cape Town, he spoke with clarity, quiet strength, and – true to Jewish spirit – even moments of humour. His testimony left the audience deeply moved, and reminded all of us present of the moral urgency of this cause: that they must all come home.