Former hostage Or Levy shared details about bringing up his son without his wife, who was killed on October 7, after being freed from Hamas captivity in February, according to a report published by Israeli news outlet Mako on Wednesday.
Levy, who attended the Nova Festival with his wife Einav, was taken captive into Gaza on October 7, 2023, after they both hid in a nearby bomb shelter. Einav was killed by grenades thrown by Hamas terrorists into the shelter.
Their son Almog, who was a toddler at the time, was raised by Or and Einav’s families as they waited for his father to return from captivity.
Speaking to Mako, Levy shared his experience of becoming a full-time single father to his now-four-year-old son, Almog, since his release from captivity.
“I want Almog to grow up as normally as possible. I know he can’t, and that’s why I protect him as much as I can,” he told Mako.
Asked whether his son, Almog, is scared of Hamas or “the bad people,” Levy said that his son does not understand the concept of fearing them. “I don’t want my child to grow up racist, someone who’s afraid of or hates Arabs,” he said. “That’s not my intention, despite everything that had happened to me. I have no interest in making him hate them or fear them.”
According to Levy, his son Almog asks about his mother. In the interview with Mako, he said that his son “asks what happened to her, or whether I can take him to see her. It comes up all the time. Captivity is still part of our conversations – he asks me where I disappeared to for a year and a half.”
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Regarding his own personal life, Levy shared that his journey to recovery has been challenging. The return of all the living hostages who were held in the Gaza Strip came eight months after his release, and according to him, it “cast everything in a different light.”
According to him, he speaks a lot with freed hostage Segev Kalfon about their difficulties falling asleep. Levy shared with Mako that activities such as building Lego sets, cooking and playing sports, alone and with his son, help him overcome difficulties sleeping and functioning throughout the day.
Levy also said that sharing his experience with other freed hostages also helps him overcome his difficulties. “I am a full-time dad, so it’s hard to find time,” he said, “but we meet and support each other as much as we can.”