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Released hostage Segev Kalfon (Photo courtesy IDF Spokesperson)
Palestinian Authority/Gaza, November 23, 2025
Captivity survivor: ‘We dug a pit for food, we lived in starvation and fear’
Original source
Released hostage Segev Kalfon, who was kidnapped during the October 7 massacre and released earlier this year, has said that he continues to feel threatened even after returning to Israel.
In an interview with Channel 12 News, he shared, “My sense of security has diminished. I still don’t feel safe. I went through two very difficult years. They know all my personal details. They were always telling us over and over that they’ll yet come for us, they’ll come for me yet.”
In the interview, Kalfon described how during the day he manages to suppress the trauma, but at night, the memories return.
"The most humiliating thing was when they made us dig their toilets. We dug a pit nearly two meters deep over three days so they would give us food. We did it because we were starving - but even then, we didn’t get food," he shared.
Kalfon also recalled how the terrorists diluted their food with water, explaining, "They just ground up fava beans and 'expanded' it with water to make it seem like more."
Reflecting on his recent visit to the White House, he said the experience was surreal.
"In the end, I’m Segev from Dimona," he said. "To suddenly be in the White House with my family - it’s crazy. A lot of my return is thanks to [US President Donald] Trump, but also thanks to our country and our soldiers. Without them, I wouldn’t be here."
He also spoke about his grandfather, who greeted him in an emotional moment after his release:
"Throughout the whole two years I thought about my family a lot. My biggest fear was hearing something had happened to my father, my grandfather, or my mother. That’s what weighed on me. In the end, I was blessed to kiss my grandfather, and he kissed me."
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Source: https://hrvoices.org/victim-voices/captivity-survivor-we-dug-a-pit-for-food-we-lived-in-starvation-and-fear/?view=print