A 19-year-old former Israeli hostage – who was operated on by a Gazan doctor without anesthesia – has urged the world not to forget the brutality of the October 7 terror attacks.
Itay Regev – who was kidnapped from a peace music festival with his sister Maya Regev, 21, and their 21-year-old friend Omer Shem Tov – blasted the world for not doing more to save the remaining hostages.
On October 7, Itay, Maya and Omer were chased by nine terrorists who relentlessly shot at them as they fled the Nova music festival.
After being shot in both legs, he was tied up, loaded onto a pickup truck and paraded around the Gaza Strip as Gazans laughed and cheered him on.
He was then smuggled through the underground Hamas terror tunnels and taken to a hospital where he was operated on by a ‘sweating and scared’ doctor without anaesthetic.
Israeli Itay Regev pictured in London, describing his ordeal at the hands of Hamas
After being shot in both legs, he was tied up, loaded onto a pickup truck and paraded around the Gaza Strip as Gazans laughed and cheered him on
He was then smuggled through the underground Hamas terror tunnels and taken to a hospital where he was operated on by a ‘sweating and scared’ doctor without anesthesia
After the operation, terrorists disguised Itay as a corpse and later in a burka before transporting him to a safe house.
He spoke of his experiences as a hostage: ‘Inside Gaza I was kept in a locked room and I couldn’t see the sky.
‘I was given cans of food and occasionally some pita to eat.
‘My captors would torture me by telling me that other hostages had been killed in IDF airstrikes and that the Israeli government did not care about me.
‘And every day and every moment I thought about my family and my parents.’
Itay – who was held captive inside three different houses in Gaza until he was finally released after 54 days – said he was filled with hatred for Hamas and those who held him captive.
He said: ‘One family who held me captive would let their children come and look at me and point at my wounds.
‘I felt like I was their trophy and like nobody in Gaza cared about me.
‘No one I met is innocent.’
Speaking to the BBC, he said he had come to terms with the fact that he could be killed when he was captured.
Both he and his sister were shot in the leg when they were taken hostage. He was operated on by an ‘anxious doctor’ without anesthesia or painkillers.
He told BBC he was ordered to be quiet or they would ‘kill me’, all while he was subjected to ‘more abuse, punches in the face, spitting’.
Itay was separated from his sister, who also underwent surgery. Her dangling foot was put back on – but sideways. She was unable to walk when she was released and is currently undergoing extensive rehabilitation on her leg.
Maya and Itay Regev pictured arriving at their family home in the city of Herzliya near Tel Aviv on December 4, 2023 following their release from captivity by Hamas in the Gaza Strip
Former hostage Itay Regev pictured taking part in a protest by supporters and families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7, gathered around a symbolic Shabbat dinner table
An image from a handout video released by the Hamas Media Office shows a Hamas fighter and a Red Cross doctor accompanying Maya when she was released in November
Their father Ilan Regev previously shared a terrifying phone call he received from Maya when she and her brother were kidnapped.
In an interview with CNN he played the heartbreaking call where she says, ‘Dad, they shot me, they shot me!’ Maya said in a call to her father on Oct. 7 in the midst of shooting. “He’s killing us, father, he’s killing us.”
Ilan could be heard asking Maya to send his location and find a place to hide, saying ‘I’m coming.’
He jumped into his car from his home in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, and sped south to the festival grounds, where he was barred from entering.
In the interview, Ilan can be seen breaking down as he is overcome with emotion as he listens to his daughter’s gut-wrenching cries and pleas again.
Hamas militants killed an estimated 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others in the Oct. 7 raid that sparked the war.
On February 16, Hamas claimed that ‘many’ Israeli hostages have died in four months of bloody fighting as the conflict in the southern Levant shows no signs of ending.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the group’s armed wing, said in an audio message that the remaining hostages are living in extremely difficult conditions as Israeli forces continue devastating attacks on the Gaza Strip.
It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to push ahead with a ‘strong’ operation in the southern city of Rafah to achieve ‘complete victory’ over Hamas.
Both Itay and his sister Maya (pictured) were shot in the leg when they were taken hostage
Their father Ilan Regev previously shared a harrowing phone call he received from Maya when she and her brother were kidnapped
Despite signs of a peace deal in recent weeks, Netanyahu strongly rejected Hamas’ new terms for a ceasefire last week and today rejected international pressure to help create an independent Palestinian state.
But concern is rising for the welfare of around 1.4 million. Palestinians currently sheltering in Gaza’s southernmost city as Israeli troops prepare to sweep through the city, reportedly with the goals of routing Hamas and returning hostages taken into Gaza on October 7.
The relentless conflict in Gaza has seen critics and families of Israeli hostages turn out to pressure the Israeli government to agree terms for their release.
Around 130 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas.
While a minority of voters in Israel believe the IDF is using too much force in Gaza, stories of the harsh conditions shared by Israeli hostages returning from captivity in the November ceasefire have fueled the movement.
Some returnees said Israel’s siege had made conditions worse for hostages, suggesting food and water supplies were cut by a siege of Gaza City in the first few days of the conflict.