‘First a whistle, then booms’: Freed hostage recounts worry of Israeli strikes

As the struggle in Gaza stretches on with no clear decision, 1000’s of Israelis poured into the streets throughout the nation Saturday night time, rallying with a rising urgency for each a brand new authorities and a right away hostage deal. Naama Levy, a not too long ago freed hostage, laid naked the harrowing fears endured by captives nonetheless held in Gaza.

Naama Levy, a 19-year-old IDF surveillance soldier who was freed in January, addressed a hushed crowd of round 1,500 on Saturday, as per a report by the Times of Israel. “They come by surprise,” Levy recalled. “First you hear a whistle, pray it doesn’t fall on you, and then — the booms. A noise loud enough to paralyse you. The earth shakes.”

In vivid and painful element, she described how one Israeli airstrike practically killed her whereas in Hamas captivity. “One of the bombardments collapsed part of the house I was in. The wall I was leaning on didn’t collapse — and that’s what saved me.”

Levy stated she was saved alone for weeks, at all times on the transfer along with her captors. “There were days with no food, barely any water. One day, I had nothing. Then it rained. They put a pot outside, and the rainwater filled it. That pot of water and rice kept me alive,” Levy was quotes as saying by The Times of Israel.

Her testimony took on an much more haunting tone when she stated the exact same nightmare continues for the 58 hostages nonetheless held in Gaza, 57 of whom have been taken on October 7 by Hamas-led terrorists.

“At this very moment, there are hostages hearing those same whistles and booms, shaking with fear,” she instructed the group. “They have nowhere to run, just like I didn’t. They can only pray and cling to the wall, feeling utterly powerless.”

Levy additionally revealed how glimpses of solidarity from inside her jail saved her going. “They told us we’d been forgotten. But I didn’t believe them. On Saturday nights, I was allowed to watch television. I saw you. In this square. Thousands of you, wrapped in flags, shouting, singing, holding up our pictures — including mine. You made me feel I wasn’t forgotten.”

Before the rallies, households of hostages held a press convention denouncing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dragging out the struggle and obstructing a deal that might save lives.

“An eternal, politically motivated war is preferable to him over the return of civilians kidnapped on his watch,” stated Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan continues to be in captivity. She lashed out on the authorities for “sending our troops to the front while creating settlements on the backs of our hostages.”

Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod stays in Gaza, accused Netanyahu of shirking accountability. “How is it that after 600 days, he proposes a selective deal? That’s a death sentence for those left behind.”

In an emotional plea, Cohen turned to US President Donald Trump: “Only you can stop this disaster and return everyone home.”

Tensions additionally ran excessive on Kaplan Street and Begin Road, the place separate anti-government marches unfolded. Protesters chanted “Why are they still in Gaza?” whereas waving Israeli flags, lighting flares, and marching previous IDF headquarters.

This week’s protests have been ignited additional by controversial remarks from Yair Golan, chair of the Democrats occasion and a former IDF deputy chief, who accused the Israeli authorities of “killing babies as a hobby in Gaza.” Though he later clarified that his feedback have been geared toward policymakers, not the army, criticism poured in from all quarters.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, over 16,500 youngsters and youths have been killed since October 7. More than 53,000 individuals have died or are presumed useless general, figures that Israel disputes.

The struggle started when Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering some 1,200 individuals, largely civilians, and kidnapping 251 others. Israel says it has killed greater than 20,000 combatants in Gaza since, along with 1,600 terrorists inside its borders that day.