Former hostage Or Levy opens up about learning of wife’s murder, time with Hersh Goldberg-Polin

Former Gaza hostage Or Levy learned upon his release that his wife Einav was murdered by Hamas.

Former hostage Or Levy, who was held by Hamas for 491 days, opened up about his experience in captivity, learning of his wife’s murder and his time with murdered American-Israeli former hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, in a CNN interview published on Thursday.

“It’s hard to understand how difficult it is to live on one pita a day for 491 days … no human should live like that,” Levy said. “And for the people that are still there, I know those days were even worse than what I’ve been through – and it’s scary.”

Returning to Almog and learning of Einav's murder

Upon his release, Levy was able to return to his son Almog who was only 2 years old when he last saw his father. However, Levy learned that his wife Einav had been one of over 1200 victims murdered by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The young mother was killed as terrorists flung grenades into a bomb shelter.

When he was greeted by an IDF representative on the day of his release, he immediately asked about Einav.

“I asked her about my wife. I told her that I think I know, but I’m not 100% certain, and that I want to know,” Levy said. “And then she told me.”

Throughout his captivity, Levy said he was too afraid to ask his terrorist captor’s about the status of Einav despite his suspicions.

Time with Hersh Goldberg-Polin

He focused his energies on returning to his son, a strategy he said Goldberg-Polin had taught him.

“I remember Hersh telling me this sentence … ‘He who has a ‘why’ can bear any ‘how’,’” Levy recalled.

When life in the tunnels became too difficult, he recounted how Goldberg-Polin would encourage him to think of returning to Almog.

Now four, Levy feared that young Almog would not remember him - a fear that was put to rest when the two were finally reunited. Though, he explained now that he was tasked with the difficulty of explaining to Almog that his mother would not be returning.

“The story that we told – that he knows – is that a big bomb happened and that unfortunately, mom is dead and I was taken to a far place, and people were trying to get me home,” Levy said. “So he asks – he asks about his mom, about what happened to her, about who caused it? And he asked me about my wounds. He asked me again, why didn’t I take him with me to this far place?”

Levy told CNN how he shares stories of Einav constantly and that he and his son look at her photos.

Levy shared that while he is now free, his thoughts are still with the 50 remaining hostages in Hamas captivity.

“The fact that people are still there haunts me in the night,” Levy said.

“I think that nothing is worth more than getting those people home,” Levy said. “I know that we need to push on to get a deal that gets everyone home and finish everything. Finish everything.”