Months after her release: Freed Israeli hostage still faces nightmares of captors' faces

Almost seven months after she and her daughters returned from Hamas captivity, Doron Katz Asher explained the struggles of continuing with daily life after being held captive in a Saturday Facebook post.

Asher was kidnapped on October 7 at Kibbutz Nir Oz with her two daughters, Raz, 5, and Aviv, 3.  Her mother was murdered by Hamas terrorists during the attack.  Asher was released with her two daughters after 49 days in captivity.

In her post on the 'Mamatzchik ' Facebook group, she wrote that it took her over six months to build up the strength to write about what it is like to return from captivity. 

Asher explained that she continues to experience "nightmares at night, fear of noises, and questions from [her] little girls who don't understand why this happened to them—dealing with tough questions that break my break."

Since returning, she has experienced flashbacks and other moments of trauma. She recalls "closing my eyes and seeing my captors still in front of me. It's endless longing for my mother, my heroic brother, and friends I will never see again," she added. "And it's mainly putting on a smiling mask to raise the girls in a happy home even though my heart is bleeding."

Receiving support from Israel

Asher explained that following her return, her house became like "a train station for food and gifts without actually ordering anything" and that she ultimately had to dedicate a room in her house to store all the gifts sent to her and her two daughters.

She wrote that the experience caused her to "discover how wonderful the people of Israel are with all their help and support. "

In a CNN interview in January, Asher described her experiences in captivity. 

Asher and her daughters were kept with a Gazan family. The three of them were watched over continuously by the children and grandchildren of the owner of the house and experienced psychological warfare while being held captive.