For almost 500 days, three Israeli men endured a living nightmare at the hands of Hamas.

Kept in horrific conditions, subjected to extreme torture, and deliberately starved, they emerged from captivity barely able to stand.

Their ordeal, filled with unthinkable suffering, only came to an end when Hamas finally released them.

Brutal Torture and Inhumane Treatment

The captives—Or Levy, 34, Eli Sharabi, 54, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56—were held in tiny, suffocating tunnels where they could neither move nor stand.

Their captors suspended them upside down, strangled them with ropes, gagged their mouths, and burned them with heated objects.

Food and water were rare luxuries.

On the few occasions they were given something to eat, it was nothing more than rotten pita bread, which they were forced to share.

Dehydration and malnutrition left them on the brink of collapse.

Their suffering was not only physical but deeply psychological.

Interrogation sessions were relentless, with captors demanding information while inflicting severe pain.

One of the hostages even collapsed, and his fellow prisoners believed he had died.

It was a harrowing existence, one that defied comprehension.

Learning to Walk Again Before Their Release

As their release date approached, Hamas made a calculated decision to feed them just enough so they could stand during the handover ceremony.

Before that, they had been left in such a weakened state that even standing was impossible.

Or Levy, who was kept bound in chains for much of his captivity, had to relearn how to walk before being set free.

The Moment of Heartbreaking Truth

For Or Levy and Eli Sharabi, the nightmare did not end with their release.

Up until that moment, they had held onto hope that their loved ones were still alive.

But the truth was devastating. Levy had been taken hostage from the Nova music festival on October 7, the same day his wife, Einav, was executed by terrorists.

He only learned of her fate upon his return to Israel.

Eli Sharabi suffered a similar heartbreak.

He was forced to endure the twisted cruelty of his captors, who made him say during the handover that he was excited to see his wife and children again.

It was only after his release that he learned his wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, had been killed.

A Brother’s Painful Account

Michael Levy, Or’s brother, shared the unimaginable pain his sibling had endured.

Speaking at Sheba Medical Center, where the freed men are now receiving treatment, Michael described the physical and emotional toll on his brother.

“He is not the same Or who left home on October 7,” he said.

“He came back broken, emaciated, and haunted by the constant fear that each day could be his last.”

He also revealed that his brother’s biggest concern upon release was his young son, Almog, who was just a baby when Or was kidnapped.

In a rare moment of joy amid the tragedy, Michael recounted how Almog instantly recognized his father.

“That was the most moving experience I’ve ever had. They haven’t separated since.”

The Horrors Behind the Captivity

The brutality inflicted upon these hostages was not random but part of a calculated strategy.

According to Michael, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had personally ordered the intentional starvation of adult male hostages.

The Israeli government was aware of this directive months before the release, as officials had informed the hostages’ families about the grim policy.

Despite the international calls for their release, 76 hostages still remain in Gaza.

Their families continue to wait, hoping for a miracle while fearing the worst.

A Reunion Shadowed by Grief

The freed men may be home, but their suffering is far from over.

The trauma of their captivity, combined with the devastating news about their families, has left wounds that may never fully heal.

For Or Levy, the one thing that kept him going was the dream of holding his son again.

That moment finally came, but at the cost of unimaginable loss.

As Michael Levy poignantly put it, “Every night in captivity, Or dreamed of the moment he would put Almog to bed.

Now, after nearly 500 days of horror, that moment has finally arrived.”

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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