Former hostages Naama Levy and Karina Ariev recalled in an interview with Galei Tzahal the moments of their release from Hamas captivity, saying they experienced the “ceremony" staged by the captors at the time of their release as a moment of strength rather than humiliation.
"We understood that there was going to be a ceremony. We just went there. We got up on stage, and I know that, for me, and for the other girls, it was instinctive. We won, we survived, you didn't break up. We are strong, proud of ourselves and our nation. We didn't even realize that the ceremony was designed to be humiliating," Ariev said.
The two recounted their first meeting in captivity. "We hid in the bathroom because they left us alone, and we heard someone entering the house. We saw the terrorist, and we saw someone who was completely covered, and we realized that it's Naama. We didn't stop talking for two-three days straight."
Naama recounted the terrifying moments in the bomb shelter in Nahal Oz on October 7th, 2023. "Those hours felt like an eternity. You sit with your friends who were murdered, and you don't understand why it doesn't pass, and you don't know what's going to happen."
One year after their release, the two also speak of the difficult rehabilitation. "We came back in a crazy euphoria that lasted a few months, and the moment everything calmed down and settled, struggles that still need to be digested and experienced arise."