The family of Eitan Levi, an Israeli hostage murdered during the Oct. 7 attacks, released on Saturday distressing footage showing his body being abused by a mob in Gaza. The video, shared on social media, provides a grim insight into the events that unfolded during the initial assault.
"It's with great pain and hesitation that we've decided to share this video showing Eitan's abduction and the violent mob attacking him," the family stated. "We're exposing our trauma to the world, but we feel we must. This footage proves there are no innocent civilians in Gaza. For 43 weeks, we've endured unimaginable suffering. There are still 115 hostages left behind. It's time to bring them all home."
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We are sharing this graphic video at the request of Eitan Levy's family who was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7th.
In this video, a mob of Gazans abuse and desecrate… pic.twitter.com/Qt3lsybDeC
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) August 3, 2024
The footage, which has been blurred due to its graphic nature, shows Levi's body being transported into Gaza in the back of a car, pursued by a crowd of people. Subsequent clips depict the mob stomping on and kicking Levi's lifeless body.
"We found the video on Nov. 3, when dad was still classified as missing," said Eitan's son Shahar to Ynet News. "We identified that it was him, but there wasn't complete certainty, so we waited for a confirmation from military officials. In December, they confirmed that it was indeed dad, after a committee convened and determined that he was no longer alive. According to what they told us, the video was filmed in the courtyard of a mosque."
"We decided to publish the video after a lot of hesitation about how we would feel and react once it was released and made public," said Shahar and his partner Shir. "However, we realized we had to do it. We need to raise awareness for the 115 hostages who are still in this nightmare. We wanted to show what these monsters are doing and what could happen in the future."
"Words can't describe this situation," Shahar added. "It's gut-wrenching. I hope that at least my father didn't suffer. But at the same time, we're deeply worried that he won't be returned to us, that he'll remain a casualty with an unknown burial place. That's our biggest fear. Whether or not we're able to bury him, we're overwhelmed by difficult emotions every day. I don't know how we'll cope with this."
Shir added, "It's a terrible thing to say, but there's a small comfort in knowing that at least he's not suffering in captivity anymore."
At the family's request, the Israeli Foreign Ministry shared the video on the social media platform X. "In this video, a mob of Gazans abuse and desecrate Eitan's body, which hangs out of a car trunk," the ministry stated. "Imagine if these were your neighbors. May Eitan's memory be a blessing."
Levi, a taxi driver from Bat Yam, was not a resident of southern Israel but had traveled to the area to drop off a passenger at Kibbutz Be'eri. While on the phone with his son after dropping off his passenger, he encountered a Hamas ambush. His family overheard terrorists approaching and kidnapping Levi, with multiple voices arguing in Arabic audible on the phone.
The exact sequence of events following his capture remains unclear, but on Dec. 8, it was confirmed that he had been killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, with his body being held in Gaza.
