An Israeli intelligence soldier who was taken prisoner by Hamas during the militant group’s Oct 7 2023 invasion of Israel says the greatest threat to her life during her 477 days in captivity came from the Israeli bombing campaign — and not the men who were holding her. In a speech at a Tel Aviv rally demanding an end to Israel’s war in Gaza as well as new elections, 20-year-old Naama Levy gave a visceral account of what it was like to live under constant Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bombardment:
“They come by surprise. First you hear a whistle, pray it doesn’t fall on you, and then — the booms, a noise loud enough to paralyze you. The earth shakes. I was convinced every single time that I was finished, and it’s also what put me in the greatest danger: one of the bombardments collapsed part of the house I was in. The wall I was leaning on didn’t collapse, and that’s what saved me.”
Adding her voice to the many in Israel that want an end to the obliteration of Gaza and the return of their fellow citizens held captive, Levy noted that the detainees continued to live the hellish existence she did:
“That was my reality, and now it’s their reality. At this very moment, there are hostages who hear those same whistles and booms, shaking with fear. They have nowhere to run, they can only pray and cling to the wall while feeling a horrible powerlessness.”
Levy said she also endured another kind of pain being intentionally inflicted on every man, woman and child in Gaza — hunger and thirst:
“There were entire days without food and little water. One day, I had nothing left, not even water. Fortunately, it started raining. My captors put a pot outside the house where I was held, and the rain filled it. I drank that rain water, which was enough for a pot of rice. That’s what kept me going.”
She enjoyed a weekly glimpse into what has happening back home in Israel: Her captors let her watch television every Saturday. She said the images of Israeli protesters pushing for the release of civilian hostages and prisoners of war buoyed her spirits. “I saw thousands standing here wrapped in flags, shouting, singing, holding pictures of the hostages, including mine. You made me feel that I was not forgotten,” she said.
Hellbound and Down 