Omer Shem Tov was kidnapped 505 days ago from the Nova music festival along with his friends Maya and Itay Regev, who were released during the first deal in November 2023. Yesterday, Omer bravely stood up to Hamas's usual humiliation ceremony and then reunited with his parents Shelly and Malki, who fought in every way they could to bring him home. Omer's parents discovered that he began to keep Shabbat in captivity and grew stronger despite losing dozens of pounds from malnutrition, Kan News reported. Malki Shem Tov, Omer's father, told Kan News that Omer was held alone for the vast majority of his captivity and forced to endure numerous acts of humiliation. “He told us that they compelled him to wave and to kiss the guard who was standing next to him. He said they told him what to do. You can see in the footage that someone came up to him and told him what to do,” Malki said. Omer's brother, Amit, told Ynet, “I feel amazing. I saw Omer — now everything’s fine. He looks great, walking, talking, and telling us stories. He’s incredible. So many people want to send him hamburgers! They’re already on the way. He’s feeling okay overall.” Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, and Eliya Cohen returned to Israel and told of the horrors they endured in Hamas' tunnels. The four were held in especially harsh conditions, and suffered from intentional starvation, physical and mental violence, and were forced to spend long months in complete isolation. According to a report by Channel 12, Eliya Cohen said that he spent most of his time in captivity with hostages Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Alon Ohel, but suffered severe abuse. He was shot in his leg, did not receive appropriate medical care, and the handcuffs caused him deep wounds and severe cuts. Cohen was also bound hand and foot for extended periods of time. During long months, he did not stand up, and was held with the other hostages in subhuman conditions. Hamas starved them intentionally, ate in front of them, and left them without basic food. He was held in a dark tunnel, and only sometimes the terrorists brought a flashlight for a few hours.
