Ex-Hamas hostage shares son’s trauma after abduction

Or Levy says his son “panics” during time apart, adds that toddler still asks about murdered mother.

By World Israel News Staff

An Israeli man kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival and freed in a February hostage deal has spoken about the impact of his ordeal on his young son, who was just 18 months old at the time of the abduction.

Or Levy, 34, arrived at the festival with his wife, Eynav, minutes before Hamas terrorists invaded the event and slaughtered hundreds of partygoers.

The terrorists abducted Levy and murdered his wife. The couple had left their toddler, Almog, with relatives while attending the party.

After about 16 months in Hamas captivity, Levy was freed during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

He only learned of his wife’s fate after being released. While he was held hostage, relatives cared for his son.

Levy shared that Almog now suffers from severe attachment issues triggered by the sudden loss of both parents.

“Even now, when I’m not with him for a few hours, he suddenly panics. He asks me if I’ll disappear again,” Levy told the Morning News with Niv Raskin.

“Children have separation anxiety, but in his case it’s not just anxiety; he really was abandoned.”

The father said he is “constantly working on” rebuilding trust with his young son, “showing him that I’m here and that I’m not going anywhere. The fact that he lost his mother doesn’t help the situation — he keeps asking and talking about her.”

Levy said he was horrified by the recently released videos of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, which showed both men with visible signs of starvation.

“When I saw the videos, I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “I can’t help but think about how I was held alongside [other hostages]. I came back, and they didn’t. It’s terrible.”

Six months after his release, Levy said he is still haunted by daily flashbacks of his ordeal.

He explained that he “constantly” thinks about his time in Hamas captivity, saying that every time he chooses what to eat or when to use the restroom, he remembers when he did not have that freedom.