Ex-Hostage Avinatan Or Details Daring Six-Month Escape Tunnel Plan in Gaza

Avinatan Or, who was held hostage in the Gaza Strip after being abducted from the Nova music festival, spent six months planning an elaborate escape attempt from an underground tunnel. Relying on a piece of wire, a stolen pickaxe, an LED lamp, and a 60-meter electrical cable, Or worked tirelessly to dig his way out after discovering a faint airflow behind a stack of sandbags.

Months of Underground Planning

Or recounted his extraordinary story in an interview with the program "Uvda" on Keshet 12. Isolated almost entirely underground, he used a trash bag to block a security camera's view of his cell and spent half a year meticulously working toward freedom. His background as a former combat soldier in the Re’im reconnaissance unit, combined with engineering studies at Ben-Gurion University and technical experience at Nvidia, provided him with the analytical skills needed to map out the operation.

"In the army, they always told us there is no such thing as one hundred percent protection. There will always be some kind of weakness," Or recalled, describing how he detected a draft behind the rear wall of his cell.

Preparing for Every Outcome

While planning his escape, Or also prepared for the possibility that he might not survive. He gathered spare clothing, prepared a bag, and even wrote farewell letters and a will for his parents. He admitted that during his captivity, he watched protests in Israel on television and understood his parents' controversial public stance against a hasty hostage deal.

"It was clear to me that if we make a deal now, I will get out of here, but someone else will sit here in my place," Or explained, expressing pride in his parents' unwavering principles. Toward the end of his captivity, a captor informed him that his war was ending, while chillingly warning of future attacks before his release.