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Kidnapping of Naama Levy
Naama Levy (Hebrew: נעמה לוי; born 22 June 2004[2][3]) is an Israeli soldier serving in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). On the morning of 7 October 2023, during the Hamas attack on Israel, she was abducted from the IDF surveillance base at Nahal Oz near the Gaza–Israel barrier. Later that day, Hamas released footage on social media showing Levy in the Gaza Strip, hands tied behind her back, as armed militants dragged her from the trunk of a Jeep and forced her inside the vehicle. One of the first viral videos of the Israel–Hamas war,[4] the footage showed Levy with multiple visible injuries and a large bloodstain on the seat of her gray sweatpants, which gave rise to widespread speculation that she had been sexually abused.[5] Images from the footage have come to symbolize sexual violence against Israeli women during the attacks. As of December 2024, Levy is presumed to be among the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and her family continue their efforts to secure her release. On 22 May 2024, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released footage compiled from Hamas militants' bodycams, showing Levy and other female soldiers being held captive at the surveillance base on the morning of 7 October. The families approved the release of the footage partly to pressure the Israeli government to resume hostage negotiations with Hamas. BiographyBorn in Israel on 22 June 2004, Levy was raised in India where she attended an American school.[6] She has three siblings.[7] Her mother, Ayelet Levy Shachar, is a doctor with the Israeli women's national football team.[8] Levy is a triathlete and an alumna of Hands of Peace, which promotes peace among Israeli and Palestinian youth.[9][10][11] She also volunteered for organizations including the Red Cross and the UN. At the time of the 7 October attacks, she had just begun her service in the Israel Defense Forces.[12] AbductionDuring the 7 October attacks, Levy was acting as an IDF observer[13] in the Nahal Oz kibbutz military base,[14] which was attacked by Hamas militants. Levy's last communication with her family was at 6:55 a.m. when she texted her mother confirming she was in a safe room.[15] Further messages sent to Levy 20 to 30 minutes later went unanswered.[7][16] Footage posted by Hamas later that day (according to Reuters), and widely circulated online, showed Levy in the Gaza Strip, barefoot, bruised, and cut, with her hands tied behind her back, and wounds on her ankles. She was wearing a black T-shirt and had a large bloodstain on the seat of her grey sweatpants, leading to widespread speculation that she had been sexually abused.[5] She was filmed being taken from the trunk of a Jeep and pushed into the interior of the vehicle by armed militants while bystanders chanted "God is Great" in Arabic (Arabic: الله أكبر ).[12] Her mother, who did not see the video until at least a day after the attack, stated that she was unsure the disheveled and bloody woman in the video was her daughter. However, Levy's father confirmed the footage was of Naama Levy.[17] Images from the initial video of Levy's abduction have come to symbolize sexual and gender-based violence in the 7 October attack on Israel. Feminist activists in cities such as London and São Paulo have dressed in bloodied sweatpants like those worn by Levy in the footage.[18][19] On 22 May 2024, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released around three minutes of footage from Hamas militants' bodycams on the morning of 7 October. The video shows the militants taking Levy and other female soldiers hostage at Nahal Oz. Several of the women, including Levy, are seen with bloodied faces.[20] The hostages' families approved the release of the video to show how the women were treated and to pressure the Israeli government to resume hostage negotiations.[21][22][23] In the video, Levy pleads with the militants in English, saying: "I have friends in Palestine."[23] The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he was "shocked" by the footage and promised to do everything possible to bring the remaining hostages home.[23] On 16 July 2024, in a further bid to renew pressure for a hostage deal, Levy's family approved the release of a photo from the early days of her captivity, showing her with a black eye and a swollen face.[24] Efforts to secure Levy's release In a December 2023 interview with the Israeli channel i24 News, her father Yoni Levy requested the assistance of international organizations. He stated that while Levy had volunteered for and worked with organizations such as the Red Cross, the UN, and women's organizations, those organizations had not intervened on behalf of Levy and other female hostages.[25] He expressed outrage at the perceived silence of Michelle Obama, who had previously campaigned for the release of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls, over her silence concerning the abduction of Levy and other women.[14] On International Women's Day in 2024, her mother Ayelet Levy Shachar spoke at the Israel Hayom gala in Tel Aviv. She reminded attendees that her daughter and other female hostages were still being held in Gaza as of March 2024.[9] Levy Shachar also wrote an op-ed criticizing international organizations and women's groups for not acknowledging or condemning sexual violence committed during the 7 October attacks.[10] Another opinion piece about Levy and her abduction and status as a hostage was written by Levy Shachar and published in February 2024.[26]  In March 2024, her brother Amit Levy shared her story during a meeting with the United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group, led by MPs Stephen Crabb and Margaret Hodge, organized in partnership with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Family members of other hostages also told their stories.[27] The hashtag "#METOOUNLESSYOURAJEW" has become associated with Jewish women who are or have been held captive and reported to have endured sexual violence due to the 7 October 2023 attacks.[28][29] It was reported at the end of March 2024 by Levy Shachar that some hostages who were released during the November 2023 cease fire and resulting prisoner exchange that they had come into contact with Levy and while she had been wounded in the legs, she was walking and talking under her own power. Her comments came before a meeting with Netanyahu and other family members of the remaining female IDF soldiers still held by Hamas, where she expected to push for negotiations about a potential hostage deal.[30] In April 2024, her aunt and others protested near the Knesset to bring attention to the plight of the remaining hostages including Levy, and stated that the most urgent issue was to bring the hostages home.[31] See also
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