Freed hostage Omer Shem Tov has opened up about the harrowing conditions he endured in Hamas captivity and how, while alone in the darkness of a Gaza tunnel, he developed a profound connection with Hashem.

In an emotional interview with Kan Reshet Bet, Shem Tov described his continuing struggle with post-traumatic stress, saying there are moments when he suddenly freezes and mentally finds himself back in captivity.

Shem Tov recounted an especially brutal 50-day period during which he was held completely alone in a dark tunnel, starving and isolated, without other hostages or even his Hamas captors around him.

He said the space was so small that he could neither stand upright nor fully stretch out his arms. Once a day, he would briefly turn on a small flashlight simply to reassure himself that he could still see.

Unable to scream while in captivity, Shem Tov wrote down a simple task for himself to carry out when he finally returned home: scream.

It was during this period of extreme isolation that Shem Tov said his connection with Hashem grew dramatically. Over time, he developed a routine that included meditation and using his imagination to cope with the darkness and isolation.

His emunah, he explained, eventually became something he experienced as physically real, particularly when he felt that his life had been given back to him.

Shem Tov also recalled an extraordinary moment from an earlier period of captivity, when he was being held in an apartment together with fellow hostage Itay Regev.

According to Shem Tov, a Hamas terrorist gave them a small bottle of grape juice that had been sent as a gift from Itay’s sister and fellow hostage, Maya Regev. Shem Tov and Regev used the precious bottle of grape juice to make Kiddush while being held captive in Gaza.

Shem Tov was abducted by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre and was eventually released from captivity after enduring more than 500 days in Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)