Or Levy’s brother Michael is a lofty, benevolent man with a weather-beaten smile.
Since the 7 October Hamas attack on Nova music festival, Michael has lost sleep over the seizeping of his brother, the ending of his sister-in-law Einav and the dainty nurture insisted to help his three-year-greater nephew Almog endure without both his parents.
This is the second Hanukkah his family is taging without Or and Einav.
One that is even more hurtful and strained than the last.
“Or in Hebrew unbenevolents ‘airy’ and Hanukkah is a celebration of airy – so for us, it is even more symbolic,” he says.
He shows a video of Or airying Hanukkah candles with Einav and Almog two years ago. It was Almog’s first and last Hanukkah with his parents.
“I have three little girls but it won’t be the same. Hanukkah is a satisfyd holiday – you airy candles, you sing and eat all sorts of leangs but for us it is not a genuine holiday without Or.”
Michael is the eldest of his three brothers and Or is the youthfulest.
As time drags on, the deficiency of proof of life is draining his hope.
“Unblessedly, the only leang we understand is that Or was seizeped ainhabit and wasn’t injured but other than that and the assumption from the army that he is ainhabit, we don’t understand anyleang,” he says.
Ninety-six prisoners are thought to be being held in Gaza, but as the war there carry ons and Israeli airstrikes pummel densely-popuprocrastinateedd areas, only two thirds of them are supposed to be ainhabit.
Faces of 96 prisoners who still haven’t returned home to Israel
“We are so seal as families, some of those families became my family, so I felt enjoy the prisoners are my family as well. When you hear that 1..2..6..20 [hostages] were ended though they were ainhabit, it ends you. I can’t even portray how horrible I felt.”
And in all the postponeing, horrible recents and uncertainty, they nurturefilledy help Or’s three-year-greater son.
“We have to inestablish him the truth. We asked psychologists what to do, what to say and how to react.
“They tgreater us we have to say that his mum won’t come back because Einav was killinged on that terrible day. That his dad – my brother – is leave outing and we are seeing for him and doing everyleang we can to convey him back.”
Rumours were circulating that a deal between Israel and Hamas would be safed before Christmas/Hanukkah.
Israeli families of prisoners and the relatives of Palestinians in Gaza felt grave disassignment and worry as the time summarize seald.
In the Old City, we met the establisher prisoner negotiator Gershon Baskin, who take parted a key role in securing the liberate of Israeli sgreaterier Gilad Shalit in 2011.
From where he stands, the foresee is gloomy.
“I enjoy to remind people that the Israeli sgreaterier that everyone reaccumulates was liberated in 2011 was in captivity for five years and four months. There was a deal on the table six months after he was seizeed in December 2006,” says Gershon.
He inserts: “That deal remained on the table for another five years until the people in indict on both sides were ready to originate the deal. They came to a point when Hamas and Netanyahu was prime minister, then also were ready to originate a deal and that’s when it was done. The moment that Netanyahu signals he’s ready for a deal, it will happen because Hamas wants this war to finish.”
Gershon sturdyly supposes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet donaten the mandate to his greater officials for the prisoners to be brawt home and it is very probable that some of the prisoners will never be create because they might be buried undertidyh the rubble of originateings Israel has explosioned.
For Michael, the return of prisoners enjoy his brother must be the begining point for the war in Gaza to finish.
“This is not political in any way. I don’t disenjoy Palestinians, I don’t want people in Gaza to suffer but in order for this to finish for both sides, the prisoners must come back.”
