Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Israeli Walla! website: We are running out of stockpiles, our forces are exhausted, and the lives of the captives are in danger. It is time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Several wounded in an Israeli bombardment of a tent in al-Mawasi, south of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Three wounded, three killed in an ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery shelling targets the outskirts of the town of Shebaa
Al-Qassam Brigades: The targeting took place at the intersection of 'Street 5' with the western line north of Khan Younis
Al-Qassam Brigades: A NIMR armored personnel carrier carrying an Israeli soldier was targeted with an Al-Yassin missile north of Khan Younis
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes

Israeli bombs nearly killed me, blockade left me starving: Ex-captive

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Israeli media
  • 25 May 2025 09:27
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

Freed Israeli captive Naama Levy describes to a rally the terrifying moments when Israeli bombs shook the ground and collapsed part of the house she was in, putting her life in danger.

Listen
  • x
  • Freed Israeli captive Naama Levy listens to a statement to journalists marking 100 days of US President Donald Trump's Presidency in Tel Aviv,Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP)
    Freed Israeli captive Naama Levy listens to a statement to journalists marking 100 days of US President Donald Trump's Presidency in Tel Aviv, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP)

Massive protests swept across "Israel" on Saturday night, as thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Tel Aviv to demand an immediate ceasefire, early elections, and the safe return of captives still held in Gaza.

The central rally at Habima Square was marked by chants against the government's handling of the war and widespread criticism of the exemption granted to ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva students, leaving reservists to shoulder the burden of combat.

Nearby at "Hostages Square", outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, families of captives held a rally urging the entity to finalize a comprehensive ceasefire agreement amid faltering negotiations in Qatar.

One of the night’s most striking moments came from Naama Levy, a recently freed IOF surveillance soldier, who addressed the crowd of about 1,500 with a chilling confession. Levy, released in January as part of a captive exchange, described Israeli airstrikes as terrifying.

“They come without warning,” Levy said of the Israeli airstrikes. “First you hear a whistle, then you pray, and then comes the boom. Loud enough to paralyze you. The ground trembles beneath you.” She recalled how one Israeli bombardment collapsed a section of the house where she was detained, barely sparing her life. “The wall I was leaning on didn’t collapse, and that’s what saved me.”

She warned that the same Israeli terror now haunts the 58 remaining captives still held in Gaza. “Right now, they’re hearing those same booms, and they’re terrified. They have nowhere to run. They can only cling to the wall and pray.”

Levy detailed the harsh conditions she endured because of the total Israeli blockade on Gaza, including days without food or water. “One day, I had nothing left. Then it rained. My captors put out a pot. That water was enough to make rice. That’s how I survived.”

Related News

Anti-government protests flood Tel Aviv, settlers demand captive deal

'Israel' witnesses stormy protests outside draft office for Haredim

Israelis blast Netanyahu for prolonging war

Earlier Saturday, families of the captives held a press conference in Tel Aviv, where they fiercely condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Many accused him of stalling the captive deal in favor of political survival.

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is still in captivity, said, “An eternal, politically-motivated war is preferable [to Netanyahu] over the return of civilians kidnapped on his watch. He prefers to flatten Gaza indefinitely, even at the price of 58 Ron Arads.”

Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod remains a captive, denounced Netanyahu’s pursuit of a partial deal. “How is it that after 600 days, he proposes a selective deal? This is a death sentence for whoever is left behind.” He added, “I call upon President Trump, only you can stop this disaster and return everyone home.”

Protesters at another rally on Begin Road marched past Israeli military headquarters chanting, “Why are they still in Gaza?” Cohen mocked Netanyahu’s recent claim that Hamas fighters attacked “with flip-flops and AK-47s,” saying, “The premier seemed to think his son Nimrod’s tank was taken over with flip-flops.”

Zangauker accused the government of using soldiers to expand illegal settlements while abandoning captives. “To reach a deal that will bring everyone home, this government must go,” she said.

Left-wing activists mourn Gaza victims in silent vigil

On Kaplan Street, between the two main demonstrations, hundreds of leftist demonstrators gathered for a candlelit vigil outside the southern gate of the Israeli military headquarters. Holding photos of Palestinian children killed since the war resumed on March 18, they displayed names, dates, and locations of their killings in a silent protest.

This week’s demonstrations saw a notable surge in participation, drawing around 400 attendees. The protests also followed a wave of controversy surrounding recent remarks by former Israeli deputy chief and current Democratic Party chair Yair Golan. Speaking candidly, Golan said "Israel" was “killing babies as a hobby in Gaza.” 

Meanwhile, the Israeli genocide continues unabated, killing at least 53,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, in yet another wave of indiscriminate slaughter. Among the latest horrors was a massacre early Saturday morning that killed nine children from a single family.

Read next: On-duty Gaza doctor receives own 9 children killed in Israeli strike

  • Protests in Israel
  • war on Gaza
  • Palestine
  • Gaza genocide
  • Israeli occupation
  • Naama Levy
  • Gaza

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS