Or Levy, 34, who is set to be released from Hamas captivity tomorrow (Saturday), and his wife Einav were parents to Almog, who was two years old at the time of the abduction. They had simply wanted to enjoy the Nova festival in Re'im on October 7th, now known as Black Saturday. But the terrorist attack turned their love story into a tragedy.
The couple arrived at the festival just nine minutes before hell broke loose. As the rockets rained down, they ran for shelter. Or called his mother, Geula, and told her, "Mom, you don't want to know what's happening here." That was the last time his family heard his voice over the phone.
Ten minutes later, Hamas terrorists threw grenades and opened fire in all directions. Einav was murdered, and Or was abducted into the tunnels of Gaza.
The child who keeps asking about his parents
Or, a software developer by profession, is the father of Almog, who celebrated his third birthday without his parents. He has been raised by his grandparents, and as time passes, his memories of his mother and father are fading.
"Almog keeps asking about his mom and dad," said his uncle, Michael, in a speech at the UN. "Even when we try to explain, he doesn't understand why he can't see his father or what the words 'Mom is never coming back' mean. But this boy can still get his father back. Don't let him become an orphan from his father too."
The abduction footage
The Hamas terrorist organization has not released any documentation of Or Levy from captivity, nor has it been reported in the media who among the hostages has seen him or when. However, two videos shed light on what happened to him.
The first is footage from the shelter that has since been dubbed the "death shelter," capturing the moments of terror. Michael, Or's brother, described the harrowing video: "The last image we have of him is heartbreaking—covered in his wife's blood, dazed and terrified. It's an extremely difficult video to watch. Or is seen surrounded by bodies, one of them Einav's. The terrorists can be heard speaking Arabic to one another, saying that someone is still alive. They ask Or if he is a soldier. You can hear him begging them not to take him, not to shoot him. That video was the first time I saw what had happened to Or."
Michael added, "He's my younger brother. All these years, I was the one protecting him. It was unbearable to see the horror on his face in the most terrible moments of his life, knowing that there was nothing I could do to help him."
Additionally, in June 2024, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a video showing the terrorists driving towards Gaza in a pickup truck on October 7. Inside the vehicle were four hostages, including the late Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, and Or.
