Saturday, March 29, 2025
“Every moment was horrific, often without food or water”; Girl held hostage in Gaza recounts her ordeal
After her release, Nama Levy said that her 477 days as a hostage were unbearably long and painful. “One day felt like a month, and one month felt longer than a year. Many times, we did not even receive food or water,” she recalled.
Speaking at a United Nations event on hostages, Levy described the moment of her abduction and the conditions she endured. “I was forcibly dragged out of a black jeep. I was injured and terrified. I was bleeding and completely helpless. I was presented before an angry, hate-filled crowd, surrounded by the sounds of gunfire and clapping. That was only the first day—my first day in hell,” she said.
Levy emotionally shared the suffering she went through: “I endured severe malnutrition and unbearable hunger. I had multiple injuries but received no treatment. I was kept in filthy, unbearable conditions where every moment was terrifying. At any second, it felt like it could be the last moment of my life. Every minute felt like an eternity.”
Hostage families appeal to Netanyahu
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has intensified its campaign to destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure in Gaza City. The United Nations estimates that more than 220,000 Palestinians have fled northern Gaza in the past month. Before launching its expanded operation, Israel had warned civilians to evacuate Gaza City, where nearly one million Palestinians lived in surrounding areas.
Gaza’s Shifa Hospital reported receiving 20 bodies and 90 wounded individuals amid the escalation. At the same time, families of hostages gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence, pleading with him to halt the offensive in Gaza City.
