Dr. Shoshan Haran, a physician who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, has shared her harrowing experience and issued a stark warning about Iran's ambitions. In an interview, Haran described how she and her family were captured by what she calls Iran's 'Gazan army' and held for 50 days. She revealed that her captors told her their mission extended beyond destroying Israel to establishing a global Islamic state.
The Capture
On the morning of October 7, Haran was hosting family at her home in Kibbutz Be'eri when the attack began. 'We received WhatsApp messages warning that terrorists had invaded our kibbutz,' she recalled. Unable to secure their safe room, Hamas operatives used a bulldozer to breach the wall. They threatened to throw grenades if the family did not surrender. Haran's husband, son-in-law, sister, and brother-in-law were all killed. She, her daughter Adi, and two grandchildren, aged three and eight, were taken to Gaza.
Life in Captivity
Haran and her family were paraded through cheering Palestinian crowds before being handed to another Iranian-backed unit. They were held in multiple locations, including the lavish apartment of a doctor. 'It was a luxurious house with carpets and chandeliers,' she said. The captors cleaned their weapons in front of the children and kept constant watch. To protect the kids, Haran told them the captors were guards keeping them safe. The hostages were barely fed, with the women eating scraps after feeding the children.
Release and Aftermath
After 50 days, the captors asked for the children's shoe sizes, signaling imminent release. The terrorists dressed in uniforms for a propaganda handover to the Red Cross. Haran later learned that 100 people from her village had been murdered. She had been part of a peace group and had helped Palestinians access medical care. 'We were naive,' she admitted. 'We thought if we showed them we are human beings, they would want coexistence. But they told me their mission is to destroy Israel as the first step toward global jihad.'
Iran's Role
Haran emphasized that Iran's proxy armies—Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard—are part of a larger plan. 'Their vision is a global Islamic state,' she warned. She criticized the recent U.S. deal with Iran, which she says gives Iran billions and allows it to keep its weapons and armies. Vice President JD Vance's comments dismissing Israeli concerns and accusing Israel of genocide only compound the threat, she argued.
Haran's story serves as a chilling reminder of the human cost of terrorism and the broader ideological war being waged by Iran and its allies.
