Posted on 12/20/2025 5:09:24 PM PST by Freeleesy
One moment I was dancing with my friends and the next I was at the back of a pickup truck being dragged into Gaza. I spent 505 days underground in terror tunnels. There was no fresh air, no sunlight, no sense of time. Just darkness, pitch black 24 hours a day. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. At one point, I thought that I had gone blind."
Shem Tov spoke of the physical and emotional toll: "The hunger was constant. I was weak, dehydrated, and starving. Many days all I had was a single cracker and few drops of salty water. But the hardest part was the loneliness. Some hostages were held together. I wasn't. For more than a year, I did not see another hostage. No voices, no faces, no human connection. Just silence, darkness, and fear."
Omer said that he found God even in such a bleak place: "Before my captivity, I had never really spoken to God before. But alone in that darkness, I began to pray. Every day, I spoke to him. I whispered, 'God, how are you? How was your day? Are you okay?' And in that darkness, I felt His presence. I thanked Him for everything. For the food even though there was almost none. For the water even when it was salty. For my life even though it was in danger every single day."
Although he was not rescued, he heard the IDF fighting directly above him. "About 100 days into my captivity, the IDF fought just above me. And when they moved on, they left behind books. My captors brought them to me."
(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
Omer reminded the crowd that the fight was not his, but everyone's. "What I experienced is not just my story. It is a part of a much larger fight. We have seen these same radical terrorists commit violence in Israel, in Europe, not long ago, just last week in Australia and even here in the United States, including the attack in Washington DC where two national guardsmen were shot. This is the evil we're fighting. This is not a distant conflict. These are terrorists who attack freedom wherever freedom is undefended."
He quoted Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point: "Charlie Kirk of blessed memory once said, 'Israel is a civilized country. Hamas are savage animals.' Take it from someone who spent 505 days as their hostage. He was right. They are savage animals."
I love President Trump. He has some rough edges, yes, but I love him all the more because he does not hide them, but rises above them to be one of the greatest men of history.
Psalm 20
1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him. I’m thankful this man turned to God, and may he understand the full salvation of the Lord, redemption from all his foes, even death and the devil.
“ I love President Trump. He has some rough edges, yes, but I love him all the more because he does not hide them, but rises above them to be one of the greatest men of history.”
Absolutely! Trump reminds me of my dad. Dad grew up in Queens NY in the 1930’s. Dad never tried or ever thought about hiding his mistakes from me. I’ve noticed that with older NYC people is that what you see is what you get.
Glory to God!
How could he read books in the dark?
Amen.
Memoir of another hostage says they were moved around to keep the Americans and IDF guessing about them.
I’m assuming the brief story about the Turning Point speaker leaves details like that out.
Book: Hostage by Eli Sharabi (2025). Synopsis below.
Regardless of our shared opinion of his later political views, John McCain while in captivity said later: “I finally realized that no matter how much I prayed or waited for the rescue teams to arrive, no one was ever going to come.”
Have to admit that is a horrifying realization.
Amen
And yet he was wrong since he was freed
“Shem Tov reserved special thanks for President Trump: “I can tell you something else about the terrorists who held me captive. There was one man they feared the most: President Donald Trump. When he was elected, the way they treated me changed completely. They were terrified of him. And I want to state this clearly so the whole world hears it now. On behalf of the hostages, our families, and our nation, thank you, President Donald Trump, for our freedom. He fought for us. He brought us home. When he met us at the White House, he promised to bring home the remaining hostages, living and dead, in one deal. And he kept that promise. I told him he was sent by God and I thank him.”
May God save us all from such tests ..
I’m with you on this one.
He’s in 24 darkness and voila, “when the IDF moved on, they left behind books. My captors brought them to me.”
Meanwhile in Israeli prisons...
Good grief, how low of an IQ believes this stuff?
The Muslim terrorists probably brought down a lamp temporarily so that he could read and tell them what was in the books.
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