Hostage Kiddush in Hamas Captivity: Omer Shem-Tov Story

In an interview Sunday with Israel's Kan Reshet Bet radio, released hostage Omer Shem-Tov shared previously undisclosed details about his months in Hamas captivity, including how he maintained Jewish observance under extreme conditions.

Shem-Tov recounted that while held with fellow hostage Itai Regev in an apartment in Gaza, a captor threw them a small bottle of grape juice, claiming it was a gift from Maya Regev, Itai's sister who was also being held hostage. Recognizing an opportunity, the two men realized they could use the juice for Kiddush. They also had part of a bagel.

"That small bottle stayed with me until two months before my release," Shem-Tov said. "Every Friday we would fill the cap with juice and make Kiddush."

Among the most harrowing periods of Shem-Tov's captivity was a 50-day stretch spent alone in a tunnel in absolute darkness. "I was in a tunnel in complete darkness for 50 days," he described. "I would turn on a small flashlight once a day just to know I could still see. Those were the most critical 50 days of captivity."

The isolation was extreme. "I was starving, completely cut off from the world," he told Kan Reshet Bet. "I wasn't with other hostages during that time, and not with captors either. The darkness is very difficult at first, but slowly you go through a process with yourself. You put your ego aside and accept the situation."

The cell itself was severely restrictive. "On the first day in darkness you simply suffocate and don't know what to do and can't see anything," he said. "The cell was so small you couldn't stand up in it and couldn't spread your arms to the sides. I wasn't allowed to shout, so one of the things I wrote on my list of what I wanted to do when I got home was to scream."

A turning point came when Shem-Tov engaged in what he described as "a conversation with God." "After a period of time I had a conversation with God and surrendered to Him --- I said that from now on He should do what He wants with me," he revealed. "From that moment I had a routine. I would meditate. I imagined many things. My imagination developed in an insane way where I would see things in a tangible and real way."

He was released at the end of January as part of the first hostage exchange deal. Since his return, he has shared his story publicly, conveying messages of resilience and faith. In recent weeks he appeared before an American delegation and sang "Shir LaMa'alot" (Psalm 121) before more than a thousand Christian religious leaders.

In recent weeks, Israeli security forces have targeted several of his captors. Last weekend, the IDF eliminated Sabai Zahir Abd al-Hamid Abu Hasna, a member of Hamas's elite Nukhba force who held Shem-Tov in captivity and forced him to kiss his head during a humiliating release ceremony.

According to the IDF, Abu Hasna infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre and participated in holding Shem-Tov hostage. Recently, the terrorist had been attempting to advance additional terror operations against IDF forces, leading to his elimination in a targeted strike in northern Gaza.