The Free Press has published an exclusive excerpt from Avinatan Or's memoir "Through the Earth," detailing his experiences as a hostage of Hamas following his abduction during the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Or spent over two years in captivity, much of it alone in a tunnel cell beneath Gaza. The article focuses on specific moments from his ordeal, including his meticulous efforts to gather information and survive, and his daring but unsuccessful escape attempt. His story is presented as essential reading for understanding the challenges faced by hostages during the conflict.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Avinatan Or, an Israeli hostage seized by Hamas on October 7, 2023, during the Nova music festival in Israel, published a harrowing memoir titled "Through the Earth" which became a bestseller in Israel. The Free Press has shared excerpts from his book describing his two-year ordeal, primarily spent alone in a tunnel cell beneath Gaza. Or meticulously documented his experiences, including his daring escape attempt where he tried to dig himself out of the tunnel but was recaptured, beaten, and tortured. His account provides critical insight into the conditions and mental resilience of hostages during this period.
Written for “Hamas Hostage Survival Story” on 2026-10-07,
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Leaning score withheld for article 61801: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-10-07
The Free Press has published numerous stories on the ordeals faced by the Israeli hostages seized by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
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Press → publish → October
But the words of Avinatan Or—published here in English for the first time—stand out.
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words → publish → time
Three years ago, Or was abducted from the Nova music festival by Hamas terrorists.
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Or → abduct → terrorists
He then spent more than two years as a hostage, most of it alone in a tunnel cell beneath Gaza.
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He → spend → Gaza
Last month, Avinatan published Through the Earth, a harrowing, Hebrew-language memoir about his experience, which has swiftly become a No. 1 bestseller in Israel.
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which → publish → Israel
We are proud to exclusively share two parts of the book—one from 20 days into his captivity, and one from about five months later.
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We → share → captivity
Avinatan’s attention to detail in captivity was extraordinary; his will to live, even more so.
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attention → live → captivity
During his captivity, he literally dug himself out of his tunnel in a daring escape attempt, only to be caught, beaten, and tortured.
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he → dig → attempt
Today, he describes the experiences that led him to try to escape—and the moment that made him realize he had the opportunity to try.
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he → describe → opportunity
Or’s story, translated here from Hebrew, is essential reading as we mark the third anniversary of the October 7 attack.
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we → translate → attack
Read it to understand what Or went through and how, against all odds, he survived years of war and terror in the darkness beneath Gaza.
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he → read → Gaza
From now on, everything, and I mean everything, is a numbers game.
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I → mean → ?
And that means I start to collect every scrap of information that comes my way.
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that → mean → information
I count the rungs of the ladder, count steps, catalog the sounds and key words I manage to catch, measure my paces, memorize turns, feel out the space around me.
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I → count → me
I know that we have climbed nine meters down the ladder into a tunnel with a low ceiling a little under six feet, one that won’t let me stand up straight for the next 24 months.
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me → know → months
I’m here, and I must be the master of my fate.
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I → ’m → fate
One day, Khaled-Hamdan, the Hamas commander in charge of the tunnel where I have been taken captive, comes into the room where we’re all sitting and tells me to follow him.
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we → take → him
We start climbing up out of the tunnel, and my heart and my head start working overtime.
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heart → start → overtime
I have no idea where we’re going or what’s about to happen.
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we → have → what
As we come out of the tunnel I see that it’s nighttime, and the darkness of underground Gaza blends into the darkness of Gaza above.
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darkness → come → Gaza
The tunnel opening lets us out into the storeroom of a house.
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opening → let → house
The voices of women and children come from the second floor.
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voices → come → floor
I think about the monstrous use of a civilian population, and how low a man has to go to use his own children as human shields.
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man → think → shields
The thought is cut short when they lead me into a side room with a tripod and a camera in the middle.
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they → cut → middle
The cameraman is standing next to them.
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cameraman → stand → them
It’s time to film my first video as a hostage.
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It → ’ → hostage
The Aporia
