'I don't even know if my son's dead or alive', says mother of hostage shot in October 7 attack

19 January 2025, 07:27 | Updated: 20 January 2025, 07:39

Ayelet Samerano interview

The mother of a hostage who was shot during the October 7 attack has said she does not even know if her son is alive or dead.

Ayelet Samerano told LBC's Henry Riley that she knows "nothing" about the condition of her son Jonathan, who was shot by Hamas terrorists and abducted from the Nova music festival 15 months ago.

It comes as the first three hostages, including British woman Emily Damari, were released to the Red Cross by Hamas after delays earlier this morning.

Ms Samerano said: "We don't know nothing. That's another issue that we are asking again and again from Hamas to publish us. Who is dead, who is alive, who is injured. At least that information."

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She added: "We want to get information about our dearest. Do you know what is it to be 15 months [in the] unknown?

"You know, you can be crazy from that... I cannot sleep. Every night I'm dreaming a lot of dreams of chaos because I don't know if he's alive, if he's dead, if he's injured - I don't know nothing. It's awful."

Mr Samerano was not set to be released in the first group of 33.

His mother said: "I really hope that after the 33 names, we will get the rest. And my son includes the people that protest is not because they don't want a deal. We want a deal. All the families of hostages want a deal.

"We want that this war will finish. That's all. We cannot live anymore."

Video posted online by Hamas is said to show Mr Samerano limp and being dragged into the boot of a truck, reportedly by a UN aid worker.

Mr Samerano appeared to be unconscious and multiple reports have said he was dead, but Ms Samerano says she has never been given conclusive proof and if he was killed, his body has not been recovered.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said an hour before the ceasefire was due to begin that he had instructed the military that the ceasefire "will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide".

After the ceasefire was due to begin, the Israeli military said it was still operating in Gaza.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the military's chief spokesman, said the truce would not begin until Hamas hands over the names of the first three hostages to be released later on Sunday.

Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on "technical field reasons".

It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released.

Israeli forces should pull back into a buffer zone inside Gaza and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory should also see a surge in humanitarian aid.

Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City early on Sunday, even as tank shelling continued to the east, closer to the Israeli border, overnight.

This is the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than the week-long pause over a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.

Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks.

Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be freed.

Israel said on Sunday it recovered the remains of a soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza war, hours before the ceasefire and hostage release were set to begin.

Oron Shaul was killed in the previous conflict and his remains have been held by Hamas. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and had not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.

The families fought to have the bodies returned as part of any ceasefire deal in the current war.

Israeli spokesman David Mencer goes head-to-head with Ben Kentish over the Gaza ceasefire.

Mr Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel is treating the ceasefire with Gaza as temporary and retains the right to continue fighting if necessary.

Israel's Cabinet approved the ceasefire early Saturday in a rare session during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced the deal.

The warring sides were under pressure from both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before the US presidential inauguration on Monday.

The toll of the war has been immense with more than 46,000 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The October 7 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed more than 1,200. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died.

Around 90% of Gaza's population has been displaced.

The United Nations says the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged.

Rebuilding - if the ceasefire reaches its final phase - will take several years at least. Major questions about Gaza's future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.