Michael Levy, brother of hostage Or Levy, addressed the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday morning, marking the council's first invitation extended to a hostage family member since October 7.
"Today, I stand before you not just as Michael Levy, but as a brother, a son, a human being, and as someone whose life has been shattered by unimaginable loss and despair," he began his testimony. "My brother is one of the 100 innocent hostages currently held by Hamas in Gaza."
Or, 33, and his wife Eynav Elkayam Levy, 32, arrived at the Nova music festival on October 7 just nine minutes before Hamas terrorists launched their attack, Michael said.
In front of the UN, Michael recounted his family's last phone call from his brother from inside a nearby bomb shelter, "'Mom, you don't want to know what's going on here.'"
"That was the last time we heard his voice. Ten minutes later, Hamas terrorists stormed the shelter. They threw grenades, sprayed bullets, murdered Eynav, and kidnapped Or into the tunnels of Gaza," Michael testified. "The last image we have of him is heartbreaking, covered in his wife's blood, shocked and terrified."
Unbearable suffering
Michael said if Or managed to survive another day, every moment he remained in captivity would be a moment of unbearable suffering for him and all who love him.
Michael said that Or and Eynav's three-year-old son kept asking for his parents.
"I'm here today to remind this council and the world of duty, not just as diplomats, but as people, as mothers, fathers, siblings and friends, because this is not merely a political issue. This is a human issue, a moral issue," Michael said. "I want to ask every member of this council, what would you do if it was your child, your brother, your loved one?"
"Hamas' actions are not just blatant violations of international law, they are an assault on humanity itself," Michael continued. "Holding civilians hostage, men, women, children, is a violation of the principles that this very council was created to protect, and yet, your silence is deafening.
Your inaction is suffocating, he added, and for every day this council fails to act, the message to the world is clear: that some lives are worth saving and others are not."
But, Levy said, he refuses to accept that message.
Levy thanked the United Nations for its support, as well as President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump.
"We place our deepest hopes and faith that you will bring this tragedy to an end," Michael said of Trump. "Your decisive leadership has already brought life into a situation that feels so hopeless; we believe in your strength, your leadership, and your commitment to justice to help bring our loved ones back home."
Michael concluded his remarks by saying Wednesday was his birthday, his second spent without his younger brother, Or.
"I'm not asking for any presents, celebration, or even a cake," Michael said. "My only birthday wish is sitting in a Hamas tunnel waiting to be brought back to his son. Bring them all, them all home. Thank you."
In Michael's introductory remarks, Shira Efron, Senior Director of Policy Research at the Israel Policy Forum, called on the UN to deliver an "unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its actions."
"There is a long-standing sense of UN bias, compounded by what Israel sees as inefficient, insufficient reaction to October 7 and its aftermath and the evidence of UNRWA staff ties to Hamas," she said.
Israelis need an international reaffirmation of the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in a state of their own and acknowledgment of the Jewish connection to the land of Israel.
"Neither side will be partners in a political process that we both need if that process denies the legitimacy of these rights," she said. "Just as it did when it passed the Partition Plan in 1947, the UN has an important role to play in helping Israelis and Palestinians move beyond what has been the darkest period in their shared history."