The brother of Israeli hostage Naama Levy has said that the family’s decision to release a new harrowing video of the moment his sister and other female hostages were kidnapped is to remind the world and world leaders that they must push for a deal to secure their release.
Nineteen-year-old Naama and six other young women were taken by Hamas gunmen on October 7 from the Nahal Oz military base, where they served as observers monitoring surveillance cameras from the nearby Gaza fence.
In a Hamas video previously shown around the world as she was taken to Gaza, Naama was shown with blood around the crotch of her pants, with her hands tied and her ankles cut.
Now the families of Naama and four other women have decided to release even more video footage filmed by the body cameras worn by the Hamas kidnappers. It shows the moment they grabbed and tied up the teens after killing others on the base.
Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find disturbing.
The three-minute video shows the gunmen shouting at the women, some still in their pajamas, most of whom have bloodied faces. They are tied against a wall before being bundled into a jeep with obvious injuries.
The gunmen tell them in Arabic: “You dogs, we will step on you… we will shoot you all.”
One says in English: “You are beautiful.”
Naama, her face covered in blood, tells them in English, “I have friends in Palestine.” She was previously part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative. Her family calls her ‘a peace seeker’.
Naama’s brother, Amit, is visiting London to campaign for his sister’s release.
He said indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages were in a “very bad place.”
“We hope that this video will encourage all parties to come back to the table and understand that it is an unbearable humanitarian issue that must be resolved,” he told the BBC. “This could be the last chance to save them.”
Amit said that when he saw the video, which was released on Thursday, it was “very difficult to see… to see my little sister with such… such a look in her eyes.”
“I never thought I would see her so scared and hurt,” he added.
But he also said he drew strength from the video.
“We feel like she’s handling the situation like the true superhero she is, like a hero fighting for her life.”
Of the seven female observers at Nahal Oz who were kidnapped, one – Noa Marciano – was killed in Gaza. The Israeli military said troops found her body in November in a building near al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
Another, Ori Megidish, was rescued by Israeli forces during an operation in Gaza in late October.
Teenagers Liri Elbag, 18, Karina Ariev, 19, Daniela Gilboa, 19, and Agam Berger, 19, are still being held with Naama. They have been held hostage for 229 days.
After seeing the video of Naama wearing bloody pants when she was kidnapped, and hearing the testimonies of other hostages, her family fears the risk of sexual assault.
“It’s very, very difficult for us. It has been a fear since October 7 that does not leave me, that does not leave anyone in the family,” Amit said.
“We realize that there is a chance, maybe even a good chance, that Naama and other girls and men are being harassed. And it is a fear that is painful in a way that is indescribable. We just have to keep fighting to make sure she gets out of this hell.”
Naama’s mother, Ayalet, said in a statement: “We see in that video only a fraction of the terrible things that happen around them in the shelter.
“She is terrified and hurt, there is fear in her eyes, and she says what she can, she begs for her life.
“The top priority is to get her home, and get them all home now.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said: “The disturbing video is the reality of Agam, Daniela, Liri, Naama, Karina and 123 other hostages for 229 days.
“The video is damning evidence of the nation’s inability to bring the hostages home. The Israeli government must not waste another moment and return to the negotiating table today.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “shocked” by the images and vowed to do everything he could to bring the hostages home.
“The brutality of the Hamas terrorists only strengthens my determination to fight with all my strength until the elimination of Hamas, to ensure that what we saw tonight will never happen again,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
