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Shoshan Haran, Israeli Ex-Hostage, Says Israelis Were 'Naive' About Hamas Before October 7
Shoshan Haran, a former Israeli hostage taken from her home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023, says Israelis were naive about Hamas before the attack, speaking in an interview from Durham, North Carolina, as her memoir 'Mission in Captivity' is released in English.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 6, 2026
• 2 Min Read
Naive About Hamas
Shoshan Haran has a blunt verdict on why her community was unprepared when Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. An agronomist and founder of the NGO Fair Planet, she spoke from Durham, North Carolina, as her memoir "Mission in Captivity" comes out in English. Israelis, she said, did not believe the threat was real - and she counted herself among them.
Hamas had been explicit that it wanted to kill them all, she said, yet Israelis did not really believe it. When she says "they", she means Hamas, she explained, pointing to the group's declarations, speeches and writings. The naivety she describes took root in a place that knew Gaza well: people from the enclave worked in Kibbutz Be'eri, and many of its residents drove sick children from Gaza to Israeli hospitals.
Fifty Days in Captivity
Hamas took Haran hostage from her home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023, and held her in Gaza for 50 days, together with her daughter, her sister-in-law and their children. She said she worked out an approach early.
- •She understood quickly that she was on a mission as the liaison between her family and the captors.
- •Books by Holocaust survivors had taught her one lesson: not to show weakness to her captors.
"By body language and eye contact, I was able to kind of demand respect"
Murdered, Not Abducted
Only after her release on November 25, 2023, did Haran learn that her husband, Avshalom, and her sister had not been abducted on October 7 but murdered. Her son-in-law, Tal, was held for 505 days in Gaza tunnels. When he finally came out, he brought her Avshalom's last words.
"It was a pleasure to live."
On Genocide Accusations
Many people around the world have accused Israel of genocide and possible war crimes over the devastation in Gaza. Asked about that charge, Haran rejected it outright.
"The claim of genocide is a lie. It is a war, a very cruel war."
Haran is rebuilding her life in another kibbutz. She misses her husband, she said, every day, every minute, every second.
