‘That people are still there haunts me in the night’: Former Hamas hostage says ordeal won’t truly end until everyone is home

The sight of Or Levy emerging in February from Hamas captivity shocked the world.

The sight of Or Levy emerging in February from Hamas captivity shocked the world. The 34-year-old’s pale, emaciated frame stood as a testament to the brutal conditions he endured during the 491 days he was held hostage – almost all of which he spent underground, shackled and hungry. “It’s hard to understand how difficult it is to live on one pita a day for 491 days … no human should live like that,” Levy said in an interview with CNN this week. “And for the people that are still there, I know those days were even worse than what I’ve been through – and it’s scary.” Levy has now been home for five months. That time, he says, has been a rollercoaster of emotions, beginning the day he was released, which he describes as both the best and hardest of his life. He was reunited with his son, Almog, who was just two years old when his father was kidnapped. But he also learned that his wife, Einav, had been killed in the attacks of October 7, 2023 – and had to begin the process of grieving her. It was the first question Levy asked the Israeli military representative who greeted him as he stepped out of captivity.