Itay Regev, a 19-year-old Israeli, endured unimaginable suffering after being kidnapped by Hamas militants.
Alongside his sister, Maya Regev, and their friend Omer Shem Tov, he was snatched from a peace music festival.
The events that followed would forever scar his life.
The Terrifying Chase
On that fateful day, October 7, Itay, Maya, and Omer found themselves pursued by nine relentless terrorists.
Gunfire echoed as they fled the Nova music festival. Itay, shot in both legs, was captured, bound, and loaded onto a pickup truck.
The Gaza strip became his grim parade ground, where Gazans laughed and cheered at his plight.
The Underground Journey
Smuggled through Hamas terror tunnels, Itay was taken to a hospital.
There, a ‘sweaty and scared’ doctor operated on him without anesthesia.
Imagine the pain—the weight of sand-like dread pressing down as the scalpel cut.
Afterward, terrorists disguised him as a corpse, then later as a burqa-clad figure, transporting him to a safe house.
Locked Away in Darkness
Inside Gaza, Itay’s world shrank to a locked room.
The sky remained hidden, and his only sustenance came from cans of food and occasional pita.
His captors taunted him, claiming other hostages had perished in IDF airstrikes.
The Israeli Government seemed indifferent to his plight.
Every moment weighed heavily; thoughts of family and parents consumed him.
Hatred and Despair
For 54 agonizing days, Itay was shuffled between three different houses in Gaza.
His captors allowed their children to gawk at his wounds—a cruel spectacle.
Hatred toward Hamas and those who held him captive festered within him.
The scars, physical and emotional, would forever mark his existence.