"Came from hell"

Father of released Austro hostage speaks out

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24.02.2025 19:57

The father of Austrian-Israeli dual citizen Tal Shoham is overjoyed that his son was released on Saturday after 505 days of being held hostage in the Gaza Strip. "He came out of hell," said Gilad Korngold in an online conversation with journalists from Israel on Monday. "It's a miracle!" His son had spent ten months in the tunnel. Shoham is still in a hospital in Israel.

Tal Shoham spent 504 days in the clutches of Hamas in the Palestinian territory. Information about the condition - physical and psychological - of the 40-year-old freed Austrian-Israeli hostage was released for the first time on Monday afternoon.

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My son came from hell, but he is alive and that is the most important thing for us.

Gilad Korngold, Vater von Tal Shoham

Trapped in a dark tunnel system
"I can't say exactly how he felt" - trapped in the dark tunnel system for ten months - says his father Gilad Korngold (63). He no longer knows in which bombed-out apartments he was previously held captive. "But I've seen him and he looks good, he can walk." The first thing Tal told a social worker when he was allowed to get into the minivan at 7am on Saturday: "I need a shower to get rid of the smell of Gaza before I take my wife and children in my arms."

(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
(Bild: AFP)
(Bild: AP/AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
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I need a shower to get rid of the smell of Gaza before I take my wife and children in my arms.

Tal Shoham

Tal's first food request was clear
And then, finally, the whole family was in each other's arms: Tal, Adi (39), little Yahel (4), Naveh (9) - grandma and grandpa. Korngold: "We all cried. It was incredible - more emotionally powerful than when he was born." Tal Shalom's physical condition appears to be intact so far: In the hospital in Tel Aviv, examinations are carried out on an ongoing basis and all functions are checked through. His first food request was clear: vegetables! He didn't get any for 15 months.

Tal Shoham is finally reunited with his family after his release.
Tal Shoham is finally reunited with his family after his release.(Bild: zVg)

"Keep fighting!"
As soon as Tal is fit again, Korngold wants to bring the whole family to Vienna. In the meantime, the motto is "fight on". "There are still so many hostages. We don't have much time, we have to rescue them."

Gilad Korngold gave everything he had to see his son again. And he made it with a lot of support from Austria. "My son came from hell, but he's alive and that's the most important thing for us."

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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24.02.2025 19:57
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