Omer Shem Tov, who was freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza three weeks ago, spoke publicly for the first time at a rally held at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. Addressing the crowd, Shem Tov shared his emotional experience, saying, “There are many people there now who are left alone, okay? I was alone for 450 days, it’s a horrible feeling. You have terrible thoughts, every day feels like eternity.”
Reflecting on the suffering of the hostages still held, he said, “It’s so hard for me to think about what they’re going through right now because I know that feeling, I know what they’re going through. We felt that… that our soul is simply being killed, is simply being murdered. Like, it’s… it’s a terrible feeling and it… it has to stop, it has to stop as soon as possible.”
Shem Tov then called on the government to take swift action, stating, “If I’m here and I now have the opportunity, I’d like to appeal to the government to continue, just continue. This… it cannot be, these drips, this torture, and this, you probably don’t, I don’t know if you understand this, or… I don’t know, but you’re breaking them, they’re simply breaking them, it’s…”
He further described the extreme conditions he endured, saying, “You simply reach a state where you eat a crumb a day. Like you eat nothing a day, yes? It’s… very difficult, very, very difficult.”
Shem Tov emphasized the importance of prioritizing the hostages, saying, “Everyone wants to defeat this enemy, this terrible enemy, right? But there are priorities, and the hostages need to be put before everything. When the IDF is in the area, it has a big impact. The IDF is doing holy work. I think the IDF is doing amazing work, yes? Every soldier is a hero. But military pressure also makes it very difficult.”
Describing his own experience, he recalled, “When I was up there, there were explosions, terrible ones, yes? But… When I went down below (to the tunnel), there were also many explosions, these kinds of earthquakes. I heard the tanks passing above me. I heard the soldiers, and they (the terrorists) already had weapons drawn, like, they had weapons in hand, just waiting for the moment they would come.”
Reflecting on the intense moments he spent in captivity, he said, “Standing next to me, you know, and I’m sitting there on this mattress, yes? And praying to God. Just praying to God. Like, it’s a situation where you tell yourself, well, this is out of my hands, there’s nothing I can do right now, so you sit and pray, and you simply hope for the best.”
He then urged the Israeli government to take decisive action, saying, “So it’s time for the Israeli government to take matters into its hands and make a decision that at one time simply bringing everyone home. And not in drips and not in deals of 50 days, no. It’s time to bring everyone home in one go.”
Shem Tov concluded with an emotional message to the Israeli people: “Am Yisrael Chai and… I simply love you all so much, I love you all so, so much. I returned because of you, but the mission is still not complete. I will do everything so that all the hostages return home as soon as possible, let’s fight for this together. Am Yisrael Chai. We are united and strong!”
{Matzav.com Israel}The post Freed Hostage: ‘I Sat On The Mattress and Prayed to G-d’ first appeared on Matzav.com.