The Israeli hikers and a Briton kidnapped by Colombian rebels have been freed. Happy Hanukkah, guys!
Released after spending 101 days as a hostage in the hands of leftist rebels, Ido Yosef Guy said his worst day was No. 16, when he and three other Israeli captives dug a hole in the makeshift mud hut where they slept and escaped at dawn. They sprinted off into the misty jungle of the Sierra Nevada mountains, which soar up from the Caribbean coast in northern Colombia. They left most of their belongings in bed, shaped to appear like sleeping bodies. Their freedom, however, was short-lived. “The rebels realized we were gone within an hour, and they captured us, again,” Guy, 27, told The Associated Press late Monday, hours after being released along with the other Israelis and a Briton. “We really should have done a better job on the beds.” The four Israelis were tied up awhile, and denied the coffee they had become accustomed to drinking. One of the rebels threatened Guy, holding a gun to his head and demanding he hand over the knife they used to dig the hole. “The worst thing was the uncertainty, and being defenseless,” the blue-eyed, curly haired Guy said of his captivity. Also unpleasant was eating only potatoes and rice, bathing in rivers and not having toilet paper, he said.
