“So my stomach was not empty”: Hamas hostage Jimmy Pacheco (32) lived on toilet paper

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Last Friday, Hamas released thirteen hostages. One of those released is Jimmy Pacheco (32). He was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz by terrorists on October 7. To stay alive in captivity, he lived on toilet paper, the Filipino man, who works as a caretaker in the kibbutz, said in an interview with CBN Asia. Pacheco is the only Filipino citizen released by Hamas in the past six days.

Pacheco said he didn’t believe he would survive the ordeal. He was often only given half a pita bread per day for food. “I didn’t eat it all at once. Every time my stomach growled, I ate something, but it wasn’t enough,” he said.

Six and a half weeks in captivity

Desperate, he decided to eat toilet paper to survive. He received this from the hostage takers when he was allowed to go to the toilet.

“I didn’t use it – I put it in my pocket,” Pacheco said. “It felt like we were 40 meters underground, so the walls were damp. I attached the paper I had saved to the walls until it got wet. Then I put it in my mouth and ate it – and so my stomach was not empty.” The Filipino has visibly lost weight during the six and a half weeks of captivity.

There was only salt water to drink. “I told myself there was no way I would survive because I had kidney problems in the past.”

The father of three children spent the first two weeks in a kind of prison cell. ‘I felt like I was going crazy. I kept asking myself, ‘Why did they bring me here? I didn’t do anything wrong.>”

Many hostages in Hamas tunnel

He was later taken to a tunnel where there were many hostages. They slept on mattresses on the floor and were given a toothbrush and clean clothes: a shirt and shorts.

The first time he saw sunlight and felt fresh air was on the day of his release. The terrorists only told him that he would be moved to another tunnel, so he only knew at the last minute that he would soon be free.

“I started crying when we left the tunnel,” Pacheco said. “I got down on my knees and thanked God.” Thinking of his wife and children helped him get through it. As a result of his terrible experience, he became ‘stronger’.

Source: Blick