Israeli hostage's plea to Hamas captors lays bare yearning for peace
Video shows a bloodied Naama Levy pleading with her captors.
Video shows a bloodied Naama Levy pleading with her captors.
“I have friends in Palestine,” she tells the Hamas fighters who are holding her.
And Levy did, her mother said — a result of a U.S. program promoting dialogue between young Palestinians and Israelis she had been part of before beginning the mandatory military service that led to her being taken hostage on the morning of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
It was the friendships she forged during her time in the Hands of Peace program — which has since shut down — that Levy was likely referring to, her mother told NBC News, when she appeared on video showing female soldiers being captured by Hamas militants. The footage released Wednesday showed the fighters calling the women, some of whom were bloodied, “dogs” and threatening to shoot them.
The video sparked outrage in Israel, with officials holding it up as proof of Hamas’ brutality, while hostage families said it should be a reminder to focus on securing a deal to see their loved ones released and bring an end to fighting in Gaza. Levy’s words are also seen by some as a symbolic blow to Israel’s already beleaguered left, after decades of hard-line voices drowning out those who have been calling for peace and reconciliation with Palestinians.
Rating: 5