This is the terrifying new October 7 footage that shows a kidnapped Israeli hostage being dragged through Gaza by armed Hamas terrorists as a baying mob tries to lynch him.
Ohad Ben Ami, a father of three daughters from Kibbutz Be’eri, was held captive for 491 days in a tunnel in Gaza where he was deliberately starved and endured severe physical and psychological torture.
It has since been revealed that once he was underground, terrorists subjected Ben Ami to barbaric conditions: they hung him upside down by his feet, throttled him with rope, and held him in a dark tunnel so tiny he had to learn to walk again.
The horrifying new video shows the then-55 year old seeing daylight for what would be the last time for over a year, as he is manhandled through narrow streets by Hamas gunmen as crowds of shouting civilian men swarm towards him.
In more footage made public by the IDF for the first time, Hamas terrorists are seen returning to Kibbutz Be’eri to capture Ben Ami’s wife, Raz, and kidnap her to the Strip.
A crowd of plain-clothed terrorists escort the mother, wearing a black and white dress, on foot through the border fence, where she was then forced to spend the next 54 days confined in Hamas captivity in Gaza’s tunnel network.
The shocking video shows the final moments before Ben Ami was trapped 30 metres (100 feet) underground in a space measuring only six square metres (65 square feet) with six other hostages for almost 500 days.
‘We received food twice a day that amounted to 700 calories at best,’ the accountant said after his release, describing how Hamas subjected the hostages to deliberate starvation by giving them only a rotten pita every few days.
Ohad Ben Ami, a father of three daughters from Kibbutz Be’eri, being kidnapped by Hamas operatives on October 7
The horrifying new footage shows the then-55 year old being manhandled through narrow streets by Hamas gunmen as crowds of shouting civilian men swarm towards him
In more footage made public by the IDF for the first time, Hamas terrorists are seen returning to Kibbutz Be’eri to capture Ben Ami’s wife, Raz, and kidnap her to the Strip
‘Most of our time was spent trying to guess what we would get to eat, when it would happen, whether we would get a whole pita for each person or just half, whether there would also be a cup of rice, [and] whether we got leftovers from our captors,’ he told the Jerusalem Post.
The hostages were trapped between concrete ‘without air to breathe’, he recalled, describing the dire conditions of captivity.
‘We slept close together on a thin, damp, and wet mattress, with the same blanket that had been used as a sheet for over a year.
‘Insects in the tunnel would get into our noses, mouths, ears, and everywhere else possible.’
He and his cell mates were only allowed to shower once every few weeks in ‘cold, salty water’, and they each wore the same set of clothes the entire time.
Illness was rampant underground, and spread quickly between the hostages, with diarrhea and an upset stomach being common among them due to a lack of medicine.
‘When someone is sick, everyone is sick. Everything was contagious and exhausting because we lost fluids, and there were several cases where we lost consciousness due to high fever.’
Ben Ami and fellow Israeli hostages Or Levy and Eli Sharabi were together subjected to extreme physical torture underground.
Ben Ami’s wife, Raz, spent 51 grueling days in Hamas captivity before she was released as part of a week-long ceasefire in November 2023
It has been revealed that once he was underground, terrorists subjected Ben Ami to barbaric conditions: they hung him upside down by his feet, throttled him with rope, and held him in a dark tunnel so tiny he had to learn to walk again
The horrifying new video shows the then-55 year old seeing daylight for what would be the last time for almost 500 days
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, hands over Israeli hostages Or Levy, Eliyahu Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Saturday as part of the ongoing hostage swap in Deir al Balah, Gaza, on February 8, 2025
Health officials took to Hebrew media to report how the three men had suffered malnutrition, decreased muscle mass, heart disorders, and prolonged infection.
Ben Ami’s daughter Ella said nothing could have prepared her for seeing the gaunt look of her father’s face and body after he was released
Israel was distraught to discover how the trio were choked, bound, gagged with cloth to the point of suffocation, hung upside down, and burned with a physical object by their captors in Gaza, reported Haaretz.
The hostages were also psychologically taunted by Hamas operatives, who would eat food in front of them, force them to pick which hostages ate and who starved, and even demanded they choose who among their fellow captives who should be killed.
Quoted in the Times of Israel, Ben Ami described the sadistic games Hamas would play on the hostages:
‘A commander, probably a senior one, came to us and cocked his gun, and said: “Choose three people to die and three people who I will shoot in the kneecap.”
‘They made us decide which three should take a bullet to the head, and which three a bullet to the knee.
‘We had to debate this for an entire hour, all while they filmed us. They let each of us speak and explain why we deserved to live, why we deserved to die, or why we deserved to be shot in the knee.’
When the men failed to volunteer themselves or select any fellow captives for death, Hamas operatives would give them the chance to be pardoned – by forcing them to speak badly about the Israeli government.
The terrorists would show the hostages statements from Israeli politicians and reports of efforts to sabotage the deal, taunting them with phrases like: ‘They don’t want to free you’ or ‘This is how they treat you.’
Released hostage, Ohad Ben Ami, who was seized during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, embraces his wife as he reunites with her at an army facility near the Gaza on February 8, 2025
On October 7, armed Hamas terrorists killed 101 civilians and 31 security personnel during the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri.
The homes were covered in blood stains and riddled with bullet holes on the kibbutz where more than 100 Israelis were slaughtered
Released hostage, Ohad Ben Ami, who was seized during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, embraces loved ones, as he is reunited with his family
After 51 grueling days in captivity, Ben Ami’s wife, Raz, was set free in November 2023.
It wasn’t until February 2025 that Ben-Ami, 56, Levy, 34, and Sharabi, 52, were released, shocking the world with their emaciated bodies.
Health officials took to Hebrew media to report how the three men had suffered malnutrition, decreased muscle mass, heart disorders, and prolonged infection.
Shortly after the hostages’ release, Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘you do whatever you want,’ with regard to the future of the ceasefire deal.
It came after the U.S. President gave Hamas an ultimatum and threatened that ‘all hell is going to break out’ if the hostages were not returned by a deadline of February 15.
When the deadline for the terrorist group passed without incident, Trump told reporters that the Israeli Prime Minister was free to act however he likes, including cancelling the ceasefire.
When fellow hostage Sharabi was released from captivity, he didn’t know his British wife Lianne and teenage daughters Noiya and Yahel had already been killed on October 7.
Sharabi was taken captive and his family were slaughtered when armed operatives stormed their home at Kibbutz Be’eri.
He was looking forward to being reunited with his loved ones, and didn’t find out they had been murdered until he reached safety in Israel.
He lost more than 30kg (66lbs) while held hostage and received a bowl of pasta a day.
‘[It was] a tenth of what I need. If it happens for a day or two it is not that terrible [but] that’s the amount we ate for six months, every day. When you ask for something more, and suddenly someone throws you a dry date, it seems like the best meal in the world to you,” he told Israel’s Channel 12.
‘You feel your gut stuck to your spine, but you can see your gut actually go inward at some point, and you can’t believe that’s what’s happening to your body.’
Sharabi was subjected to barbaric conditions underground, including being held in ropes and iron chains and sometimes beaten by Hamas operatives.
‘During the first three days, my hands are tied behind my back, my legs are tied, with ropes that tear into your flesh,’ he said.
‘I remember not being able to fall asleep because of the pain. The ropes are already digging into your flesh, and every movement makes you want to scream.
‘Your hands are also tied behind your back, so your shoulders really, really hurt – and no position is good enough.’
The third hostage to be released that day, Levy, was abducted from the Nova festival massacre, and asked for another captive to be freed in his stead, according to Israeli media.
Like Sharabi, his return to freedom was full of tragedy. Back in Israel, he discovered that his wife, Eynav Elkayam Levy, was murdered by Hamas during the blood bath at the festival, where 400 were killed and a further 44 were taken hostage.
Levy shared an emotional video call with his 3-year-old son, Almog, who said: ‘Dad, it took you a long time to come back.’
On October 7, armed Hamas terrorists killed 101 civilians and 31 security personnel during the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri.
A further 30 residents and two more civilians were taken hostage.
Ben Ami and his wife have three daughters: Yulie, Natalie, and Ella. On seeing her father for the first time in 491 days, Ella said nothing could have prepared her for seeing the gaunt look of his face and body.
‘What you all saw yesterday on TV, the difficult sight that makes you want to throw the TV to the ground, that’s my father. He endured horrors. We haven’t even begun to hear in-depth about the hell he was in,’ reported Haaretz
‘My father survived as a hero and returned with his head held high,’ she said.
On the day of his long-awaited release, Ben Ami was reunited with his wife and brother Kobi at an army facility near the Gaza border.
‘I can’t believe it. You’re so handsome, I love you,’ Raz said to Ohad as they embraced after 491 days.
In a heartwarming video call with his daughters at the facility, Ben Ami said: ‘Joy, you bring me joy.’
The former hostage was then reunited with his daughters and his mother Esther at the Ichilov Medical Centre, giving the girls an elated hug.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 others in an attack on October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.
They still hold 50 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive. Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
