October 7 · Personal story
Shay Levinson
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Paga outpost near Nahal Oz
Current outcome
Returned for burial · June 22, 2025
Body recovered from Gaza and returned for burial on 22 June 2025.
01
School, sport, and service
Shay was born in 2004 and grew up in Karkur and Hadera before the family settled in Givat Avni. At Kadoorie youth village, Shay studied Arabic and agriculture and graduated with distinction. Volleyball became central: Shay joined Eilabun in eighth grade, won the youth national championship in 2021, then played with the senior side. Shay gave up active-athlete status to serve in a combat role.
02
At Paga outpost
On 7 October, Shay and the tank crew were stationed at Paga outpost near the Gaza border. When the attack began, the crew moved toward the fence to stop militants entering nearby communities. During the fighting, an anti-tank missile struck the tank shortly before 7 a.m.; Shay was killed and the body taken to Gaza.
03
Declared fallen
For roughly three months the family did not know what had happened to Shay. On 21 January 2024, after receiving information, the Chief Military Rabbi determined that Shay had been killed on 7 October and classified as a fallen soldier held hostage. The family learned of the death while the body remained in Gaza, awaiting recovery for burial.
04
Return for burial
The IDF and Shin Bet recovered Shay’s body in Gaza. After identification, the family was notified; the body returned to Israel on 22 June 2025. Shay was buried in Givat Avni. The recovery date is separate from the death date, which the Chief Military Rabbi had set as 7 October 2023.
05
A volleyball community remembers
Eilabun held a preseason volleyball tournament in Shay’s memory, bringing together former teammates, relatives, and supporters. His mother, Shlomit, said she was sure Shay looked down on them and said: “As long as someone remembers me, that means I am alive.”