He has gone into hiding, limiting contact with his family and moving frequently from one friend’s couch to another.

"There's a tremendous amount of energy that's gone into producing that food," she said.

Extensive planning by the IDF had gone into the delicate handover, with military medics and psychologists readied for the first stages of the process at a reception centre designed to ease the hostages' transition.

"It's done with our own hands, and it's taken a while and there's thought and there's love gone into it."

Welch said she has gone into debt as costs for nurses have skyrocketed.