Former Hostage Details Hamas Threat to Enslave Her as a ‘Chained Wife’

Agam Goldstein-Almog, who grew up in Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the Gaza Strip, has revealed the terrifying ordeal she faced after being taken captive by Hamas on October 7. In a recent opinion piece, she recounted the harrowing events that unfolded during her captivity in Gaza, shedding light on the brutality she endured and the deep-seated antisemitism she encountered.

For Goldstein-Almog, growing up in Kfar Aza meant living in constant fear of Hamas rocket attacks. "Sibling fights or quiet nights were instantly turned into a scramble for the nearest safe room," she recalled, describing the ever-present danger that shaped her childhood. But nothing could have prepared her for the horror that struck on October 7, when Hamas terrorists stormed her home, killing her father and sister before dragging her, her mother, and two younger brothers into Gaza.

In Gaza, she was surrounded by a hostile crowd, many of whom appeared to be her own age or younger, who laughed as she wept. Her captors forced her to recite Islamic prayers, wear a hijab, and forbade her from mourning her loved ones. The dehumanizing treatment extended further when one of her guards threatened to make her a "chained slave-wife," a fate her mother narrowly managed to avert by intervening.

Goldstein-Almog was eventually released after 51 days as part of a ceasefire deal, but the scars of her captivity remain. She spoke of the six other female hostages she met, who were still being held and feared sexual abuse at the hands of their captors. These young women remain in captivity, over 300 days later, separated from their families, their fate unknown.

Her return to Israel did not bring the relief she had imagined. Instead, she found herself confronting a world filled with hate, much like the one she left behind in Gaza. Online, she was met with a barrage of antisemitic abuse and conspiracy theories, which she described as a continuation of the hatred that had fueled her kidnapping.

Goldstein-Almog expressed her dismay at the growing support for Hamas in some Western circles, particularly on college campuses. She noted that the same hatred that killed her father and sister now echoes in chants of support for terrorism, poisoning public discourse and intensifying divisions.

As the conflict continues, with Israeli forces discovering the bodies of more hostages in Gaza, Goldstein-Almog’s story serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of this war. She prays for the release of the remaining hostages, but acknowledges the harsh reality they might face upon their return—a world still divided, still seething with the same hatred that led to their captivity.

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