Tzvika Mor, the father of released hostage Eitan Mor, told Channel 12 News that Eitan learned to speak and read Arabic during his two years in Hamas captivity, which he spent in Gaza City.

“We’re absolutely amazed by his level in Arabic,” he said. “He writes Arabic like I write Hebrew. He reads books and newspapers in Arabic. He essentially dedicated those two years to learning Arabic.”

“Eitan simply took a Hamasnik and asked him to teach him the Arabic alphabet. He gradually began learning letters and words—from conversations between the captors, from watching Al Jazeera that sometimes played nearby, and from other sources.”

Tzvika added that Eitan said that to pass the time in captivity, he cooked and also taught the terrorists how to cook.

“Eitan had worked in the culinary field and knew how to cook professionally,” he explained.

Eitan also endured brutal treatment at the hands of his captors and at times, was provided with just a few spoonfuls of rice a day.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)