Maya and Itay Regev inform harrowing story of surviving Oct. 7

Maya and Itay Regev ran for his or her lives, have been shot, taken hostage and endured torture after Hamas terrorists attacked the Nova music pageant that they have been attending on Oct. 7.

And the siblings, age 22 and 19, say they solely lived to inform their tales as a result of “God was with us.”

“October 7 was one massive miracle, there have been so many issues that would have killed us that day,” Itay lately instructed a crowd within the Higher West Facet.

The siblings instructed the horrific story of how they have been captured by Hamas terrorists at a latest personal New York occasion — describing in graphic element how they have been gravely wounded after which held in brutal situations for weeks.

Maya and Itay have been partying with their good friend Omer within the early hours of the morning of Oct. 7 when Hamas launched the lethal invasion that left 1,200 folks useless — and altered the younger Israelis’ lives eternally.

“I keep in mind dancing with my buddies, I have a look at the cellphone at 6:25 [a.m.] and I used to be like, ‘Oh my god now we have a lot time, we’re having a lot enjoyable,’” mentioned Maya, on the occasion sponsored by Unit 11741, a charity that helps the Israeli navy.

5 minutes later, rockets started raining down from Gaza and police ordered the celebration to evacuate, warning that terrorists had infiltrated the music pageant. Maya, Itay and Omer ran for an hour and a half on foot earlier than the siblings have been discovered by Hamas terrorists and shot.

Maya, pondering she was going to die, frantically known as her father, Ilan, for what she believed could be the final time the 2 would ever communicate.

“I instructed him I like him, they’re coming to kill us,” she mentioned.

In his panic, Ilan took his weapon and tried to drive to the Nova Competition to rescue his kids, however police stopped him.

The Regev siblings and their good friend have been subsequently grabbed by Hamas gunmen, thrown into the again of a pickup truck and hauled off to Gaza.

Maya, Itay and Omer have been dumped in a house in Gaza. Itay and Omer have been held collectively however Maya was taken to a separate flooring.

“My leg was actually damaged… damaged is a reasonably phrase. The bullet hit my bone and it crushed six centimeters of it. My foot wasn’t related in any respect to the remainder of my leg. I spent eight days like this,” Maya instructed the tear-stricken viewers.

Itay was additionally wounded.

“The primary day, they took out Itay’s bullet with tweezers with no anesthesia,” Maya mentioned.

“I assumed essentially the most about my mother and father,” she mentioned.

Omer modified Itay’s bandage each two days as a result of no physician got here to see him.

The three hostages got little or no to eat, simply containers of grape juice, bread and a few salt. Maya hoarded her grape juice rations, not figuring out when the meals provide would stop.

Remembering that her brother enjoys grape juice she begged her captors to permit them carry a few of her juice containers to him. The terrorists obliged.

Little did she know, Itay had been praying for precisely that so he and Omer may make a kiddush — a Jewish ritual over wine or grape juice — on Friday nights to sanctify the sabbath.

“Once I bought the grape juice it felt like my prayers have been answered, after that point we bought scared loads much less, as a result of we felt like God was with us,” Itay mentioned.

All through his ordeal, Itay by no means misplaced his religion in miracles.

“Once I noticed that I used to be actually alive on Oct. 8, I by no means stopped believing I’d come residence.”

Maya was transported to a Hamas-run hospital the place she was operated on.

“I bought stitched twice with none anesthesia. Once they eliminated the bandage it was very painful. They didn’t need me to scream so that they gave me numerous ketamine. . . I used to be a complete mess.”

To this present day Maya doesn’t keep in mind what transpired these two weeks.

“In some unspecified time in the future they ran out of ketamine and the opposite anesthesia, and so they began doing it with out something.”

Whereas within the hospital Maya, discovered her guard was both buddies with or associated to the guards on the residence the place Itay and Omer have been nonetheless held prisoner. The guard allowed them to go notes.

“Each time I bought a word from Itay it was a sigh of aid,” Maya mentioned.

“This was the factor that stored me going.”

After 50 days in captivity, Maya was launched. Itay got here residence 4 days later.

Omer stays in captivity.

Maya mentioned that when she reunited along with her brother in Israel the 2 shared “the perfect hug.”

“We are able to’t wait to hug Omer like this.”

Maya spent eight months within the hospital present process surgical procedure and bodily remedy to discover ways to stroll once more.

Nevertheless, regardless of their struggling, the 2 siblings haven’t overlooked how blessed they’re to be again protected with their household.

“It’s an enormous miracle that I’m even sitting right here speaking to you,” Itay mentioned.