Noa Marciano

Naama Levy (נעמה לוי; born 22 June 2004) is an Israeli soldier serving in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

On the morning of 7 October 2023, during the Hamas attack on Israel, terrorists abducted her from the IDF surveillance base at Nahal Oz near the Gaza–Israel barrier.

Later that day, Hamas released footage on social media showing Levy in the Gaza Strip, with her hands tied behind her back, as armed militants dragged her from the trunk of a Jeep and forced her inside the vehicle.

One of the first viral videos of the Israel–Hamas war, the footage showed Levy with multiple visible injuries, including injuries to her ankles.

A large bloodstain on the seat of her gray sweatpants led to widespread concern that she had been raped or sexually assaulted.

Images from the footage have come to symbolize sexual violence against Israeli women during the attacks.

As of May 2024, Levy is presumed to be among the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Her family continue their efforts to secure her release.

On 22 May 2024, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a three-minute video that compiled footage taken from Hamas militants' bodycams on the morning of 7 October.

The video shows Levy and four other female Israeli soldiers, all aged 18 or 19 years old, bloodied and with their hands tied before they were taken from Nahal Oz lookout base.

Some family members have accused the IDF of inadequate security protocols and safety measures at the base that they believe contributed to the death or abduction of 22 surveillance soldiers on 7 October.

Levy grew up in Ra'anana, near Tel Aviv, and has three siblings.

She is a triathlete and an alumna of Hands of Peace, which promotes peace among Israeli and Palestinian youth.

At the time of the 7 October attacks, she was 19 years old and had just begun her service in the Israel Defense Forces.

During the 7 October attacks, Levy was acting as an IDF observer in the Nahal Oz kibbutz military base, which was attacked by Hamas militants.

Levy's last communication with her family was at 6:55 a.m. when she texted her mother confirming she was in a safe room.

Further messages sent to Levy 20 to 30 minutes later went unanswered.

Footage posted by Hamas later that day (according to Reuters), and widely circulated online, showed Levy in the Gaza Strip, barefoot, bruised, and cut, with her hands tied behind her back, and a gash on her Achilles tendon.

She was wearing a black T-shirt and had a large bloodstain on the seat of her grey sweatpants, leading to concern that she had been raped or sexually assaulted.

She was filmed being taken from the trunk of a Jeep and pushed into the interior of the vehicle by armed militants while bystanders chanted "God is Great" in Arabic (الله أكبر).

Her mother, who did not see the video until at least a day after the attack, stated that she was unsure the disheveled and bloody woman in the video was her daughter.

However, Levy's father confirmed the footage was of Naama Levy.

Images from the initial video of Levy's abduction have come to symbolize sexual and gender-based violence in the 7 October attack on Israel.

Feminist activists in cities such as London and São Paulo have dressed in bloodied sweatpants like those worn by Levy in the footage.

On 22 May 2024, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a three-minute video featuring compiled footage from Hamas militants' bodycams from around 9 a.m. on 7 October.

The video shows the militants taking Levy and other female soldiers hostage at Nahal Oz. Several of the women, including Levy, are seen with bloodied faces.

The hostages' families approved the release of the video to show how the women were treated and to pressure the Israeli government to resume hostage negotiations.

In the video, Levy pleads with the militants in English, saying: "I have friends in Palestine."

The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he was "shocked" by the footage and promised to do everything possible to bring the remaining hostages home.

In a December 2023 interview with the Israeli channel i24 News, her father Yoni Levy requested the assistance of international organizations.

He stated that while Levy had volunteered for and worked with organizations such as the Red Cross, the UN, and women's organizations, those organizations had not intervened on behalf of Levy and other female hostages.

He expressed outrage at the perceived silence of Michelle Obama, who had previously campaigned for the release of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls, over her silence concerning the abduction of Levy and other women.

On International Women's Day in 2024, her mother Ayelet Levy Shachar, a doctor with the Israeli women's national football team, spoke at the Israel Hayom gala in Tel Aviv.

She reminded attendees that her daughter and other female hostages were still being held in Gaza as of March 2024.

Levy Shachar also wrote an op-ed criticizing international organizations and women's groups for not acknowledging or condemning sexual violence committed during the 7 October attacks.

Another opinion piece about Levy and her abduction and status as a hostage was written by Levy Shachar and published in February 2024.

In March 2024, her brother Amit Levy shared her story during a meeting with the United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group, led by MPs Stephen Crabb and Margaret Hodge, organized in partnership with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Family members of other hostages also told their stories.

The hashtag "#METOOUNLESSYOURAJEW" has become associated with Jewish women who are or have been held captive and reported to have endured sexual violence due to the 7 October 2023 attacks.

It was reported at the end of March 2024 by Levy Shachar that some hostages who were released during the November 2023 cease fire and resulting prisoner exchange that they had come into contact with Levy and while she had been wounded in the legs, she was walking and talking under her own power.