Israeli children held hostage by Hamas were branded like cattle, family member says

A family member of two Israeli boys released from Hamas captivity this week said they were branded like cattle, among other abuses, in the weeks they were held in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to a report.

Brothers Yagil Yaakov, 12, and Or Yaakov, 16, were freed Wednesday during a temporary cease-fire that saw the release of approximately 110 hostages. Their uncle said the terrorists branded each boy by using the exhaust pipe of a motorcycle to identify them in case they escaped, the Times of Israel reported.

"They told us stories about what they went through inside Gaza. The stories are horrible," Yaniv Yaakov said in North Macedonia with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. "Each child that was taken by Hamas was taken on a motorbike, and they took every child, took his leg and put it on the exhaust of that motorbike, so they have a burn, so they will be marked if they run, if they escape, so [Hamas] can find them."

He added, "They were drugged, they were treated so badly, but at least they are with us."

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed the details of the branding on social media platform X, saying, "We now know that Hamas terrorists who held hostage 13-year-old Yagel Yaacov and his brother Or, used a boiling hot motorcycle exhaust to ‘imprint’ a burn on their legs as a way to identify them if they try to escape."

"Let me repeat: They took a boiling piece of metal and pinned it to the legs of a helpless 13-year-old captive child," he added.

When a user pressed him for evidence of the claim, he said he met with the children and saw their scars.

Read more here: Hamas terrorists branded Israeli children hostages in case they escaped, relative says