Hostages released by Hamas experience cycles of euphoria followed by crashes, families say.

Family members captured in the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attacks and now released are experiencing bursts of euphoria followed by emotional crashes as they emerge from weeks of paralyzing fear in captivity, according to Israelis who spoke to journalists at the Israeli embassy in London Tuesday.

“Everything is so fragile,” said Limor Sella-Broyde, 40, whose cousins ​​Judith Raanan, 59, and Natalie Raanan, 17, were released on October 20.

She said the mother and daughter were in a difficult psychological state as they recovered. “It’s an adrenaline rush and then a crash,” Ms Sella-Broyde said. “They try to talk and then they get very tired.”

Three relatives of Ms. Sella-Broyde were killed by Hamas during the cross-border attacks on October 7, while seven others were taken hostage by Kibbutz Be’eri.

Judith and Natalie Raanan, who are citizens of Israel and the United States, were the first hostages released from captivity after negotiations involving the United States, Qatar and other countries. But for their family, any sense of relief remains out of reach as so many other members remain imprisoned and as the life they knew in the kibbutz has been shattered.

Ms Sella-Broyde was part of a small group of Israelis brought to London this week to speak about their experiences relating to the October 7 attacks and to draw attention to the many other hostages still in captivity .

The event, sponsored by an Israeli charity, appeared intended in part to refocus public attention on Oct. 7, at a time when much of that attention has shifted to Israeli airstrikes and military operations in Gaza that have caused thousands of civilian deaths.

But the Israelis who spoke on Tuesday were reluctant to give details of the ordeals their relatives had endured in Gaza or to describe their medical conditions after their release, citing a desire to protect their privacy.

Ms Sella-Broyde said she felt nervous discussing difficult topics with Judith and Natalie Raanan. “They’re broken,” she said.

Another member of the group who spoke, Shahar Mor, 52, said four of his relatives were kidnapped on October 7. Three of them, including Ohad Munder Zichri, 9, have since been released, but the family patriarch, Avraham Munder, 78, has not.

Mr. Mor said that when his relatives were first released, the family members simply hugged each other. But he added that he was haunted by a sense of horror over the events of October 7 and concern for Mr Munder.

In captivity, Mr. Mor said, his relatives had subsisted mainly on pita bread, which became scarcer as the weeks passed, and they ate with their captivity. One guard gave them a pack of cards, which helped pass the time, he said.

Mr. Mor downplayed the significance of the gesture, arguing that one humane act by a Hamas guard should not be a distraction from the group’s ruthlessness.

“Some kidnappers are nicer; some are less nice,” he said. “It makes no difference.”