October 7 · Personal story
Or Levy
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Nova music festival near Re’im, southern Israel
Current outcome
Released alive · February 8, 2025
Released after 491 days in captivity and reunited with his son Almog.
01
Before October 7
Or Levy taught himself computer programming and worked in technology. He and his wife, Eynav Elkayam Levy, were raising their young son, Almog. The family traveled together; Or and Eynav kept a tent in their car for spontaneous outings. His brother Michael described him as cheerful and curious from childhood. On October 7, Or and Eynav left Almog with grandparents and went to Nova near Re’im. They arrived shortly before the attack began. Their son was two and stayed with relatives while his parents went south for the day.
02
Abduction at Nova
Or and Eynav had reached the Nova parking area shortly before the October 7 attack. When sirens and rockets began, they tried to drive home, but blocked roads sent them to a roadside shelter. Or recalled grenades being thrown inside; one injured his hand. He tried to protect Eynav and thought of Almog, who was with grandparents. When armed men entered, Or shouted that he had a young child at home. They dragged him out while Eynav remained inside. He saw a gunman shoot into the shelter but could not take in what that meant for his wife. The abductors put the wounded Or into a pickup. Seeing Hersh Goldberg-Polin with a tourniquet, he understood they were being taken. Eynav was killed in the shelter; Or was taken to Gaza.
03
In captivity
Or spent 491 days in Gaza. He said the first 52 days were in an apartment with other captives. Guards listened to KAN radio; hearing a soccer report gave the men a subject to talk about. They discussed Messi, Ronaldo and teams. Or said sports talk helped pass time and sometimes brought them more food. For long stretches, the captives were forbidden to speak. Or used the silence to reflect. His son was his daily reason to keep going: he told himself Almog was safe with grandparents and that he would return to meet him. Or described a dream of being back in the shelter with Eynav and Almog, then waking and reminding himself that his son was at home.
04
Return
Or returned on February 8, 2025, after 491 days in captivity. Before meeting Almog, he learned that Eynav had been killed on October 7. During captivity, he had not known for certain what happened to her. He had worried that Almog might not recognize him. Their reunion brought joy and grief together: Almog first asked why his father had taken so long to come back, then asked where his mother was. Or described meeting his son just after learning Eynav was gone. Almog had been two when Or was taken and was three when they reunited.
05
After captivity
In the days after returning, Or checked sports scores to catch up on the 491 days he had missed. He found that Hapoel Tel Aviv had been relegated. Later he attended a Maccabi Rishon LeZion game and said the crowd’s welcome gave him a sense of belonging. In an interview published on October 1, 2025, Or spoke about raising Almog and keeping Eynav’s memory present. He said he wanted to visit Nova, where she was killed, and do something that would help people remember her life. He described her as joyful. In that interview, Or said planning ahead had become difficult. He spoke about the hostages still in Gaza at that time, including Alon Ohel, who had been held with him, and said he believed they would return. Alon returned alive on October 13, 2025.