On January 21, 2024, the IDF announces the death of soldier Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson, 19, who was killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7. His body was recovered by the IDF in June 2025. This is what we know of his capture.
The body of Shay Levinson, 19, was taken hostage to Gaza from Nahal Oz on October 7, as Hamas terrorists launched a multi-pronged attack, killing some 1,200 people, assaulting and kidnapping hundreds of others.
Levinson, from Giv’at Avni in northern Israel, was a top volleyball player and played for years with the team in Eilabun, an Arab village near his hometown.
For several years, he was the only Israeli Jew on the team and strongly believed in coexistence.
His older brother and mother have also played in the same Eilabun volleyball league.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
