Hostage Survivor Avinatan Or Reveals He Dug 10-Meter Escape Tunnel in Gaza

Avinatan Or, who survived more than two years in Hamas captivity, has shared dramatic new details about his self-engineered escape attempt. In a video posted on his Instagram account, Or revealed that he spent months planning and manually digging an escape tunnel out of his place of imprisonment.

"I managed to plan and dig my escape tunnel for months. I dug more than ten meters outward with my bare hands. Throughout this entire period, I never stopped thinking about the efforts and the prices paid by so many Israelis working together to ensure our lives here."

Or stated that during his long captivity, he fought every single day to "survive and maintain composure."

Two Years of Solitary Captivity

Or was abducted on October 7, 2023, alongside his former partner, Noa Argamani. Unlike other hostages, Or spent his entire captivity in complete isolation, never encountering any other Israeli captives.

"For more than two years, I was held captive alone. I did not stop thinking for a moment, and I never forgot that I was the only one responsible for my fate at any given moment."

He explained that the decision to attempt an escape came after more than a year in captivity. "Just as you were fighting for me above ground at those moments, it was my turn to fight beneath it and do everything I could to escape," Or said.

Launch of the Memoir 'Through the Earth'

The video, which quickly garnered over 180,000 views, was released in conjunction with the launch of his new book, "Through the Earth" (Miba'ad La'adama), which details his survival story. Reflecting on the book's release last week, Or wrote: "I cannot believe this moment has arrived, signing my story. 738 days and endless thoughts that I had to share with you."

In a social media post last month, Or shared insights gained from his ordeal, writing that "good comes when you fight for it, when you take one more step forward, even when darkness surrounds you from all sides."