Held hostage in a tunnel under Gaza for nearly days, Or Levy — starved of sunlight, unable to stand up straight, not knowing whether his wife was dead or alive — would often watch, hungry, as his Hamas captors ate the food he was denied.
All of them hostages were starved. After emerging from the tunnels as part of a ceasefire deal earlier this month, Israelis were shocked by the skeletal state of Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi. Gaunt and haggard, the appearance of the recently released detainees, as well as their testimonies, have raised fears about the wellbeing of those remaining in Gaza, as the first phase of the ceasefire nears its end and the next remains uncertain.
Or, 33 on the day of his capture, was dancing with his wife, Einav, at the Nova music festival on October 7, , when Hamas-led gunmen poured over the border into southern Israel. Einav was killed in the rampage — something Or had long suspected, but did not know for sure until his release 16 months later.
Over that time, Israel has laid waste to Gaza, in an offensive it said was aimed to free the remaining hostages and render Hamas incapable of governing the enclave or posing a military threat.
Israel has been criticized by rights groups of stemming the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, leaving Palestinian children to die of starvation. United Nations experts also warned of famine in the strip, before the ceasefire deal helped get some aid to the 2. Asked whether his brother may have been denied food because of shortages in Gaza, Michael said this did not explain why the Hamas captors ate well.
