Naama Levy

The Nahal Oz Five

During the Hamas attack on October 7 2023, twenty-two young female soldiers hid inside the bomb shelter of the Nahal Oz army base. Fifteen of them were killed when Hamas entered the shelter. Seven were taken hostage. One of those seven, Noa Marciano (19), was murdered in captivity. Another, Ori Megidish (18) was found and rescued from the tunnels by the IDF early on in the war.

The other five are Naama Levy (19), Liri Albag (18), Agam Berger (19), Karina Ariev (19) and Daniela Gilboa (20). These young girls, almost all of them teenagers, were dragged out of the shelter, thrown into trucks, wounded, bleeding and terrified, and taken to Gaza. Like cattle. Worse, like slaves. Like loot, like war trophies.

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Footage of their abduction has now been made public by the families of these girls, in a desperate attempt to sway the government and the international community, to pressure Hamas more, to put more effort into an agreement that brings the hostages back.

This footage is absolutely heart-shattering and horrific. It shows the girls sitting, dazed and bloodied, in the shelter, with the dead bodies of their friends all around them. You can hear gunshots and shouting, and terrorists talking about the girls and to them. What they are saying is bone-chilling.

The video has been edited to remove the most graphic content, but it is still terrible to watch. This is the video. It is on YouTube, but it has been banned from Facebook for being too graphic. Facebook winces and looks the other way, while the blatant threats and vicious hatred spewed towards Israel and Jews from the Pro-Palestine faction go unchecked.

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Among the screaming, the shooting and the choas, one of the men says to Daniela: “You are so beautiful.” Someone else says: “They are worthless, they are Zionists.” At the very end when the girls are being pushed into the truck, you can hear someone saying: “These are the girls that can get pregnant.”

It is blatantly obvious what they are planning to do with these girls. Sexual violence is a given. But forced pregnancy? That terrifying thought had not even entered my head until now. But now, I can see the girls clearly, in my mind. Being held in the quarters of these men. Being subjected to assault, violence and sadism. In the eyes of these monsters, these girls are worthless and subhuman. They are objects to be violated and abused. And to be used for breeding.

I feel sickened to my core. These girls, our girls, are not playthings for depraved men. They are not worthless trash, only fit to be used and discarded. They are beautiful and unique human beings. They are precious souls, sparks of the divine. They are daughters, sisters, friends and fellow women. They are everything to their parents and family. They are everything to us.

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Naama Levy

Naama Levy is 19 years old. I wrote a post about her before. The shocking footage of her being roughly dragged by her hair and shoved into a car, hurt and bleeding, her hands tied behind her back, was released shortly after October 7.

This is from the website Bring Naama Levy Home:

“Naama Levy was born in Israel, and raised in India where she was educated in an American school. She graduated with a diplomacy major in high school. She was raised on values of tolerance, acceptance, equality, freedom, social justice…

As a young girl, Naama participated in the “Hands of Peace” delegation, which brings together young Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians and nurtures young leaders to promote values of mutual understanding and the pursuit of peace as a lever for creating social-global change.”

“Always looking to find common ground between people, Naama chose to practice a sport that she loves very much and that, in itself, embodies the convergence of various sports – Triathlon. The strong connection to sports runs in her family – her mother is the doctor of the Israeli women’s soccer team, so Naama has lived and breathed soccer since childhood.

She is also the connecting force at home. The second child out of four, Naama is a role model to her two younger siblings and is adored by her older brother.”.

Naama had just arrived at the Nahal Oz base when she was violently abducted. She has been a hostage ever since.

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Liri Albag

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Israel Hayom writes the following about Liri:

“Liri Albag celebrated her 19th birthday in captivity. Her sisters Roni (25) and Shay (22) say birthdays have always been among her favorite occasions. She is a joyful girl who always pays attention to every little detail: “She always gets the whole house going a month in advance for a big event with all her friends. She always makes sure everything is beautifully decorated and also has the food she loves prepared for the event.” Her sisters still hope to celebrate her 20th birthday together with her in Thailand.

Liri is an optimistic and strong girl. People who returned from the first prisoner exchange deal and met Liri in captivity told her family about the conditions she is held in. They noted: “She told us she loves us, that she’s okay and misses us. We understood it was important for her that we know she’s alive. She knows our family and knows we won’t stop fighting for her. She asked us not to forget her and the other captives, to not stop fighting.” “

According to other sources, Liri is being held in civilian houses and frequently moved. She is made to cook and clean and look after children. In other words: She is a slave.

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Agam Berger

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From Israel Hayom:

“Agam Berger, aged 19, is the twin sister of Li-Yam, born two minutes before her. She’s a gifted violinist, playing since she was 8. She had only been in the position for one day when she was kidnapped from Nahal Oz base.Her mother Mirav said in March, “Agam was supposed to be stationed at the Kerem Shalom crossing. At the last minute, they changed her posting to Nahal Oz. On Thursday, she went to the base. I sent her a video of us wishing her well. The very next day, just one day into being a field observer at Nahal Oz, she was brutally kidnapped.”

Agam sent messages to her parents from captivity through the released hostage Agam Goldshtein, who was with her for a time. Goldshtein told the parents that their daughter observes Shabbat even in captivity. She described how Hamas terrorists ordered Agam to cook food, but she firmly refused to desecrate Shabbat. She even asked to wish her father a happy birthday, awaiting her return to him. Two months ago, the family celebrated a bar mitzvah for Agam’s younger brother, Ilay. He then told Israel Hayom: “It’s very hard for me to celebrate without my older sister Agam. Even in the worst scenarios, I never imagined this important day would look like this. It’s very difficult for me, I’m very sad. We miss her, it’s just not the same without her.” “

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Daniela Gilboa

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From Israel Hayom:

Daniella Gilboa was also kidnapped from Nahal Oz, and her family and partner of seven years, Roey Dadon, await her return home. Recently, while Daniella was held captive by Hamas, he proposed to her. Orly, her mother, later said: “Daniella and Roey have been together as a couple since 7th grade, both studying music at school. Just a week after that dreadful Saturday, they were supposed to celebrate their 7-year anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend. She was really looking forward to celebrating that weekend. A few weeks ago, we had a Torah scroll welcomed into our home, and the rabbi who led the ceremony understood that Roey had been her boyfriend for 7 years. He asked him if he had proposed yet and suggested Roey propose – and he did. Now he’s waiting for her to return.”

Daniella graduated with excellence from high school, majoring in music, and even recorded some songs awaiting release when she returns. Since her abduction, Orly has been fighting to bring her daughter home, wavering between great hope and despair. She admits not expecting to need so much strength for this long struggle: “In the first few days after the kidnapping, I told myself there’s no way an event of this magnitude would go on for more than a few days, and I didn’t think we’d reach months in captivity. I ask the decision-makers – think of your own daughters, as if they were there now, and make your decision accordingly. Do what needs to be done to return the captives because they don’t have much time left.” “

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Karina Ariev

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From Israel Hayom:

“Karina Ariev, from Jerusalem, called her sister Sasha on the morning of Oct. 7 and said she was entering the shelter with her friends. “Slowly, as the minutes passed, she said there were terrorists in the area, and then you could really hear their voices and the shooting – as we’re talking on the phone. Then she started saying goodbye to me, telling me she loves me, that I should go on living, take care of our parents, and that’s where the conversation ended.”

The family describes her as an innocent and gentle child who always looks out for her family and parents. “For her, family and friends come first.” Her sister also said: “The longer we see the fighting drag on, the more we worry. Karina is creative and talented, loves to paint, sing, and dance, and wants to pursue a career in the beauty industry. She loves helping people and dreams of studying psychology and sociology. She has the ability to truly listen to people, she’s a shoulder to lean on.” “

On January 26, both Karina Ariev and Daniela Gilboa were shown in a hostage video by Hamas, together with another hostage, Doron Steinbrecher. What they said was not remarkable, it followed the same script as all the other hostage videos, the message being: Stop the war, or we will die. But, as with the other hostages, the look in their eyes was haunting. Doron’s scream echoed in our heads for a long, long time. What are these women going through, off-camera?

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When is this slow and agonizing mental torture going to end? When will we be able to mourn and bury our dead, embrace and heal our survivors, and look to the future? We are stuck in the past. One never-ending day in October. We cannot heal and move on, as long as our precious daughters, sons, fathers, grandfathers and friends are still held hostage. We have been waiting and holding our breath for seven months. When will we be able to breathe out?Liri, Naama, Agam, Daniela and Karina. We love you. We will bring you home.

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This is my YouTube video about the Nahal Oz Five:

🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️ #bringthemhome

Naama Levy – the face of abused Israeli women

On October 7, the videos made by Hamas terrorists themselves were shown across the world. The above stills were taken from one of these videos. It shows Naama Levy, a 19 year old Israeli girl, being violently abducted by several armed men. Her hands are bound behind her back, her feet are bare and she is bleeding from wounds on her face, arms, hands and ankles. Her sweatpants are dirty and bloodied. Especially in the crotch area.

Hundreds of women were brutally killed on October 7. Many of the bodies showed signs of sexual abuse and gender-related mutilation. Eyewitnesses from the Supernova festival described horrific scenes of gang rape and torture. Women’s bodies were found with broken legs and pelvises, breasts cut off, mutilated genitals. I could go on and on, but the scenes are so cruel and shocking that I can’t bring myself to repeat the stories I read. Released hostages have told stories of sexual assault by Hamas members. And abducted women were filmed with obvious signs of abuse. Like Naama Levy.

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The website Bring Naama Levy Home tells us who Naama is:

“Naama Levy was born in Israel, and raised in India where she was educated in an American school. She graduated with a diplomacy major in high school. She was raised on values of tolerance, acceptance, equality, freedom, social justice…

As a young girl, Naama participated in the “Hands of Peace” delegation, which brings together young Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians and nurtures young leaders to promote values of mutual understanding and the pursuit of peace as a lever for creating social-global change.”

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“Naama has always been attentive to others. She has always stood by the different and the less fortunate. She volunteered in a kindergarten for children of foreign workers (asylum seekers) and is a graduate of a youth movement that brings children together from different sectors of Israeli society.”

Always looking to find common ground between people, Naama chose to practice a sport that she loves very much and that, in itself, embodies the convergence of various sports – Triathlon. The strong connection to sports runs in her family – her mother is the doctor of the Israeli women’s soccer team, so Naama has lived and breathed soccer since childhood.

She is also the connecting force at home. The second child out of four, Naama is a role model to her two younger siblings and is adored by her older brother.”

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In the early morning of October 7, Naama was sleeping in her bed at the army base of Nahal Oz. She had arrived at the army base just two days ago. When the rockets start falling and the sirens start ringing, she jumps out of bed and runs barefoot to the shelter. She texts to her mum: “We’re in the safe room. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

Shortly after that, her phone goes silent. A few hours later, the video surfaces, which shows Naama in the trunk of a black jeep. An armed terrorist drags her out of the trunk and shoves her into the back seat of the car. She looks terrified, disheveled and bloodied.

Since then, Naama has been a hostage. Naama’s parents have been very vocal on her behalf and have demonstrated, given interviews and travelled to the USA to campaign for the release of the hostages. Naama’s mother, Ayelet Levy Shachar, wrote in an article in the Free Press:

“It has been deeply disturbing to see the United Nations and feminist organizations refuse to acknowledge that Hamas raped and committed appalling sexual crimes against women, simply because the victims are Jewish. It took two months for some to finally admit the scale and the brutality of the horror.”

“The same monsters who committed those crimes are holding my daughter hostage.There are seventeen young women still in captivity. They range in age from 18 to 26. I think of what they, and my Naama, could be subjected to at every moment of the day. Each minute is an eternity in hell.”

“What would you do if your daughter were being held hostage by violent rapists and murderers for two months? Perhaps the better question is: What wouldn’t you do?“

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Naama’s father, Yoni Levy, said in the New York Post:

“We talked about Michelle Obama often. She [Naama] believed her to be someone who not only cared about global women but also someone with a really good heart.”

“What I want to know: Why has she, and all these other famous women Naama looked up to, and all of the global human rights organizations she believed in, stayed silent about what has happened to my Naama and all the other girls who are still held hostage?”

“It is like they have disappeared. Their silence shouts loudly. Naama believed in the power of women helping each other. She believed in the power of women. I am disappointed for her.”

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I am disappointed, too. I am furious and heartbroken by the deafening silence of so many people who claim to care about human rights, about women’s rights, about violated girls in war zones.

Protests have been staged all over the world against the silence of the UN, the MeToo movement and all other women’s rights organizations. Protests that show how violated and pushed aside we feel, and the reality of what happened to the girls and women of Israel.

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What woman has not felt the threat of a man’s superior strength? What woman doesn’t know what it’s like to be touched against her will, to be followed and harrassed, maybe even to be assaulted? I think pretty much all of us have experienced gender-related threats at some point in our lives. So how can you all look the other way, shrug this off, just because the abused women in question are Israelis and you don’t like Israel?

Open your eyes. See what really happened. And stand up against it. Hamas is a dangerous death cult, that treats women as property, that throws homosexuals off rooftops and kills anyone who dares to oppose them. How can anyone stand with that kind of evil? It is beyond me.

Sheryl Sandberg, a well-known American author and public figure, is working on a documentary about gender-related violence by Hamas, called Screams Before Silence. In this documentary, she speaks to eyewitnesses, released hostages and first responders to gather evidence for sexual crimes committed by Hamas terrorists. The documentary is coming out in April 2024.

I will have to gather all of my willpower to make myself watch it. I know it will be horrific, terrifying and nightmare-inducing. But I will watch it. For Naama, for Noa, for Shani, and for all the other women and girls who were raped, abducted or brutally murdered and paraded through the streets of Gaza.

We are with you, Naama. We love you, we are waiting for you, and we will do anything to bring you back home and to keep you safe forever. 🧡

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