by: Roi Rubenstein ~ Ynetnews
A visibly emaciated Or Levy in an emotional meeting with family members after his release from Hamas
Monday, 10 February 2025 | Tal Levy, the brother of Or Levy, who was freed from Hamas captivity, described the harsh conditions and starvation his brother endured during his 491-day captivity. “There was intentional starvation, a policy from Yahya Sinwar,” he said.
“It’s impossible that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t know because officials from the Hostages Bureau at the Prime Minister’s Office told us about it,” Tal added that, in his estimation, Or wouldn’t have survived much longer if he had remained in captivity for another two to three weeks or a month.
Meanwhile, Or’s other brother, Michael, issued a statement at Sheba Medical Center. “Yesterday, after 491 days of hell, Or came back to us,” Michael said. “He was imprisoned in Hamas tunnels, cut off from the world, from his life, from his family. For 491 days, every minute was a battle—physical, mental, emotional.”
Michael went on to describe Or’s physical state, saying, “After a year and four months, I saw my brother again. I hugged him, but he wasn’t the same Or who left home on October 7, 2023. Or returned in a weakened condition. For 16 months, he was barefoot, hungry, and in constant fear that each day would be his last.”
Michael continued, “His greatest fear was confirmed when he was freed. For 491 days, he waited to hear about his wife, Einav. He learned only yesterday that she was murdered. Yesterday, he finally met Almog [his 3-year-old son], and Almog asked, ‘Why did it take so long for you to come back?’ For 491 days, my brother and others were there, but nothing prepared them for what they found here..”
Michael stressed the urgency of continuing the fight to bring more hostages home. “Every moment and every second there was critical. Our struggle isn’t over. Or’s return is a miracle, but the people of Israel deserve this miracle. My brother is here, but I still have other brothers and sisters in hell. I beg, don’t forget them. Don’t stop fighting.”
Earlier, Tal Levy spoke to Keshet News about Or’s gradual recovery. “Or is recovering slowly,” he said. “Yesterday was a bit harder and confusing for him, but he didn’t sleep much. He sat with my mom and my brother and shared experiences from captivity. He fell asleep only at 7 a.m. Yesterday was confusing, but he’s going through a process. Today is a better day, he’s starting to stabilize.”
Tal further revealed, “The stories he shares are incredibly difficult to hear. I can’t even describe them. If I could share everything he told us and if the public knew what they went through and the slim chances they had to survive in those conditions…the Or I saw yesterday wouldn’t have survived another two or three weeks, or a month in captivity.”
Tal also confirmed that Or had been aware of the intentional starvation policy imposed by Yahya Sinwar, a policy the family had been briefed on. ”
Tal added that Or had initially refused to be freed and suggested another hostage be released instead. “He felt very bad about being freed while others were still in captivity. We told him that he was a humanitarian case, especially because of Almog, who lost his mother, and Or was the family’s only hope.” Or also mentioned Elkana Bochbot, another hostage, who had a 4-year-old daughter, saying, “Why wasn’t he released?”
Or didn’t know for certain until yesterday that his wife, Einav, had been killed. Tal said that, at his request, a psychologist broke the news to him. “He guessed she was dead because he was in the shelter when it happened. He suspected she was gone, but he didn’t know. The first question he asked the psychologist, after transitioning to the IDF, was whether Einav was alive or dead. She confirmed she was dead,” Tal explained.
Tal also described the emotional meeting between Or and Almog. “Almog recognized him immediately. The fear wasn’t just ours—it was Or’s too. He was really afraid Almog wouldn’t recognize him. He said the one thing that kept him going every day in captivity was dreaming of meeting Almog. As time went on, he started to think that Almog might not recognize him, and the reunion he had been dreaming about would be very cold and hard. But Almog remembered him completely. He had been longing to meet him, and the reunion was incredible. It was truly the most emotional moment of my life. It was as if they hadn’t been apart.”
Or also got the chance to tuck Almog in for the first time. “It was the first time he went to bed with his father. This was a dream his father had every night during captivity. He dreamed of putting Almog to bed, and today I’m helping him do it,” Tal said. “We’ll all lie down together in bed and read a story, and they’ll sleep hugging.”
Or, along with Eli Sharabi, who lost his entire family in the terror attack, and Ohad Ben Ami, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri in his pajamas, was freed from the heart of the Gaza Strip. The three had been held underground for most of their captivity, without daylight. Some were exposed to limited media, mostly Al Jazeera.
When Michael Levy addressed the UN Security Council, Hamas terrorists informed Or that the Israeli official was working on his behalf. About a week before their release, the hostages began receiving more food and water, likely due to supplies entering the area and the terrorists wanting to present them as healthier.
Or was kidnapped on October 7 from the “shelter of death” where he had fled with his wife Einav and many others during the Hamas surprise attack at the Nova party. His wife was killed in that shelter, along with 15 other victims. “He was held in a tunnel without communication and only guessed that his wife, Einav, had been murdered,” his mother, Geula, said yesterday.
Or’s mother added that he thought Almog Sarusi, who was killed alongside five other hostages in a tunnel, had been freed. “He was convinced that Almog and Hersh had returned,” she said. Tonight, it was revealed that Alon Ahal, who had been kidnapped with Or from the shelter, is also alive.
Posted on February 10, 2025
Photo Credit: Haim Zach / GPO
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