Moments before he was released from captivity and returned home, Avinatan Or heard a chilling message from the terrorist who had held him captive: an explicit threat that the October 7 massacre would happen again.
In an interview with Ilana Dayan on Channel 12's "Uvda" program, Or recounted the conversation with the terrorist, Abu Hassan, who came to tell him about the agreement under which he was to be released.
Alongside the news of his release, however, the terrorist chose to deliver a threatening message.
"He tells me: 'Go home, say hello to your father, hello to your mother, meet your friends, two days, three, four, a week - and then take a bag, pack it, and go to Europe,'" Or recalled.
"'You know why? Because we're going to do October 7 again. And so long as there is one Jew in the Land of Israel, we will massacre you again and again and again,'" Or recounted.
Or, however, was not deterred by the threat, adding, "I looked at him and told him: 'I'm not leaving.'"
When Abu Hassan asked why, Or pointed to the reality around them and responded with a question of his own.
"I tell him: 'Look at the Gaza Strip. Everything here is destruction, everything here is death. When the war ends and the crossings open, will you leave for Egypt?'"
"He tells me, 'No.' I say to him, 'Why not?' He tells me: 'Because this is my home.'"
Or heard his answer and responded with the same words, in a sentence that, for him, summed up their confrontation:
"Excellent. This is my home, too."