Avinatan Or, a hostage recently freed after more than two years in Hamas captivity, revealed new details overnight Monday about a failed escape attempt that led his captors to significantly worsen his conditions.
“I tried to escape. I dug for weeks,” Or told the Jewish Federations of North America conference in Washington. “I made myself work to change my own destiny... One night, I reached the outside, I saw stars for the first time in years. I wrote 'Hostage' on a white sandbag, planning my next step. But they found out. They beat me for days.”
Avinatan Or reveals new details about his escape attempt from captivity at the Jewish Federations of North America conference in Washington
(Video: Jewish Federations of North America)
His remarks, first aired by Army Radio, provided one of the clearest public accounts yet of life in captivity in the Gaza Strip following his abduction from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023.
Or’s father, Yaron, had previously said his son’s conditions deteriorated after the escape attempt, with terrorists subjecting him to physical abuse.
For much of his time in captivity, Or, who is nearly two meters tall (about 6 feet 7 inches), was held in solitary confinement—bound to bars inside a cage barely taller than himself and only slightly longer than the thin mattress he slept on. Earlier, he had been confined to a slightly larger caged space where he was still unable to walk freely.
Or said he was mostly kept in the dark, both physically and informationally, receiving only fragments of news from his captors, who often misled him. At one point, he was falsely told that his girlfriend, Noa Argamani—who was kidnapped with him—had been released, when in fact she was still in captivity.
Or was released after 738 days in Gaza as part of a hostage deal. Argamani was freed separately during Operation Arnon on June 8, 2024. One of the most iconic images from the October 7 attack showed Argamani being dragged away from Or as they were taken across the border into Gaza.
Eight days after his release, Or returned to his home in the settlement of Shiloh in the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. He was welcomed with cheers, Israeli flags and a motorcycle escort. Residents held signs reading: “This is the day we hoped for. Avinatan—good to have you home.”
Speaking upon his return, Or said, “After a very long time in the tunnels of Gaza, in darkness, I’m finally here with all of Israel.” He added, “Since we came home, we’ve been receiving love from every corner of the country. I was disconnected for two years, and I’m slowly learning about the unity and love that swept through the nation.”
He expressed deep gratitude to the soldiers who helped secure his release, calling them “the true heroes of this story. Thanks to them, I’m here today and able to feel all your love.” He concluded with a hopeful message: “I hope we can carry this love and unity forward without needing war to get there. Our strength is in our unity—only love will prevail.”