Andrey Kozlov, a 27-year-old Russian Israeli, was captured by Hamas in the October 7 massacre that slaughtered over 1,200 innocent Israeli civilians. For 246 days, Andrey languished in a dark hidden room in the back of a Palestinian medical doctor’s Gaza apartment.

For the first two months of his captivity, Andrey’s arms were tied behind his back day and night. His shoulders ached, and sleep was impossible. “It was a gift,” says the young man, when his arms were finally bound in front of him, instead of behind.

Andrey’s parents live in Russia, and every day without their son has been achingly painful. When Evgeniia Kozlova’s phone rang last week, she went into a panic. “They said we have some news so please sit down.” Before the Israelis on the other end of the line could utter another word, Evgeniia threw the phone across the room, screaming “No, no, no! I don’t want to hear any bad news!” She thought for sure the IDF was calling to tell her that her precious son Andrey was dead.

But then Evgeniia heard a tinny shout coming from the phone she had hurled: “We have good news, please answer!”

Praise God, her son was alive!

The Israeli government arranged to get Evgeniia and Andrey’s father on a flight from Russia to Tel Aviv as soon as possible. The moment Evegeniia walked into the hospital room, her son collapsed at her feet sobbing. Evegeniia slid to the floor, sobbing along with him, but with tears of joy as she held her son’s head on her lap, brushing and kissing his tears away. “You’re safe now. You’re safe.”

Andrey’s mother says he is “in a very, very delicate, very fragile state.”

Jan, Ziv, and Kozlov were held in a tiny dark room in an apartment owned by Dr. Ahmed al-Jamal, a Gaza-based medical doctor. Although the news continues to refer to the area as a “refugee camp,” there are no tents there, just long-standing, multi-story, brick and mortar multi-family housing. As if to demonstrate how psychotic many Gaza-based Palestinians are, Dr. al-Jamal’s wife, son, daughter-in-law, and even his grandchildren took part in torturing and abusing the hostages.

Israeli Dr. Itai Pessach, of Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv, treated Andrey and the other three hostages after they were rescued. In addition to being severely malnourished, eight months of physical and psychological abuse “left a significant mark on their health,” Dr. Pessach says.

Even more sickening than a medical doctor holding people prisoner were the Palestinian’s neighbors. When the Gaza residents realized the IDF was there to save the hostages, they flooded into the streets firing military rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers trying to prevent the rescue. According to the IDF, there were 100 Palestinian casualties.

That’s because the Palestinian Authority pays lifetime bounties to terrorists and their families for killing Jews. And now, Palestinian families are being paid a daily fee for every Jew they imprison and torture.

Wednesday, Biden’s secretary of state announced the administration would be giving the Palestinian Authority nearly half a billion dollars, perhaps to reward yet more terrorists and torturers.

Meanwhile, Biden STILL won’t give Israel the funds and arms Congress approved for the Jewish state.

Christians in Defense of Israel is working with select members of Congress to ensure the upcoming NDAA forces Joe Biden to stop his self-proclaimed arms embargo against Israel.

At least 120 hostages remain in Gaza. No one knows for sure how many are still alive. But what we do know is that every day Joe Biden extends his embargo, more of them are likely to die. Please join me now in faxing Congress to support this lifesaving measure.

Mat Staver
Chairman
Christians in Defense of Israel

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SOURCES:

“At Jordan Event, Blinken Announces $404 Million in New Aid to Palestinians.” Jewish News Syndicate, June 11, 2024. Jns.org/at-jordan-event-blinken-announces-404-million-in-new-aid-to-palestinians/.

“Rescued Hostage, ‘Br2ainwashed’ by Hamas, Thought IDF Forces Had Come to Kill Him.” The Times of Israel, June 13, 2024. Timesofisrael.com/rescued-hostage-brainwashed-by-hamas-thought-idf-forces-had-come-to-kill-him/.