My daughter, 19, was dragged away by Hamas and paraded in bloody pyjamas in a sick video – I just want her back

11 months ago 3
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THE devastated mum of a 19-year-old who got abducted by Hamas during October 7 attack urged mothers around the world to “hear my scream”.

Ayelet Levy Shachar, 50, talks of the “unbearable pain” as she watched her second child taken into war-ravaged Gaza where she has remained captive for over 70 days.

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The devastated mother shared the moment her world crushed on October 7[/caption]
Reuters
Naama Levy was abducted by Hamas and remains held hostage in Gaza for over 70 days[/caption]
Twitter
The footage of her bloodied and beaten in a Hamas truck has been widely circulated[/caption]

The terrifying video of bloodied Naama being pulled by the hair and bundled into the back of a truck by Hamas horrified the world.

But Dr Levy-Shachar doesn’t want her daughter to be known by that awful footage.

The mother-of-four told Daily Mail that she wants the world to remember her daughter as a “determined”, sporty girl who loves American singer Pink and volunteered for Pro-Palestinian charities.

“Before that day, every video our family had taken of Naama was joyful – dancing with friends, laughing with her three siblings, and simply enjoying life.

“But now, one video, totally unrepresentative of the life she had led until October 7, is how the world knows her,” she added.

The heartbroken mum described how her quiet suburban life changed in an instant as it descended into hell on October 7.

That day Dr Levy-Shachar was due to visit her second child in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, 60 miles from Gaza, and had left a cool box out by the door the night before to fill with all Naama’s favourite treats.

“I was just here with the other kids and at 6.30 am the siren went off,” said the doctor.

“I texted Naama asking, ‘What’s going on? Are you ok?’

“She wrote back to me: ‘We’re in the safe room. I’ve never heard anything like this in my life’.”

That was the last time they communicated.

It wasn’t until four hours later when Naama’s 52-year-old father, Yoni Levy, phoned that the full scale of horror began to unravel.

The mother-of-four was on the front porch, playing a monopoly board game with Naama’s siblings, when she received a call from her husband.

He told her: ” Something bad’s going on. There’s a video of Naama being kidnapped to Gaza-the video is in Gaza.”

Panic struck Dr Levy-Shachar and her children as they began to frantically search social media.

Naama’s brother, Amit, 21, quickly found the horrifying footage and warned his mother not to watch it.

In the chilling video, the teenager is seen being thrown into a black jeep by her hair with her sweatpants covered in blood.

Naama’s younger sister, Michal, 16, then watched the video and began crying at the terrifying scenes she saw, asking: “Why is she alone?”

Dr Levy-Shachar said: “There are so many specific details in that video. Her terrified face, her being dragged by the hair, her bloody sweatpants, pyjamas, her wounds.

“But what her sister saw was that she was alone. That was the most terrifying part for her.”

She added: “I understood that something terrible is happening; just through her eyes, through my younger daughter’s eyes.”

During a week-long truce deal, Hamas released 105 people held hostage in Gaza.

But according to Israel, 136 citizens still remain in captivity, including Naama.

Seeing other families reunite with their loved ones last month was “unbearable” for Dr Levy-Shachar as she awaited her daughter’s return with a “welcome home” board.

With her voice trembling, she told Daily Mail: “I’m happy for everyone who got out, but she is my daughter.

“The world has continued, people are continuing with their lives and Christmas is coming, but everything has stopped for us.”

One glimmer of hope came from released hostages who confirmed they had seen Naama still alive.

“We know she has some wounds, but she’s up on her feet and she’s walking – so I’m very hopeful,” the mother said.

“When I talk, I have my soft voice, and my words come out slowly, but I want mothers around the world to hear my scream – and to take action,” she added.

The doctor said she doesn’t hate her daughter’s abductors, adding that she “has to hope”.

“Maybe one of them, they have a heart.

“They can see that lovely little girl; they can be good to her and keep her from harm.

“I don’t want to be hateful- I just want her back.”

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