SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Omer Shem Tov, a former Israeli hostage who spent 505 days in captivity after being abducted by Hamas, shared his story of survival and resilience during an event in Sacramento on Thursday.

"I try to spread light and love and hope," Shem Tov said.

Shem Tov was taken from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023. During his captivity, Shem Tov said he was kept in tunnels, given little to no food, and forced to work for Hamas.

"It was 120 feet underground. It was a small, small cell that I couldn't stand up inside of and I couldn't spread my arms out. I was in complete darkness,” he said. "I was like their slave. I used to cook for them and clean for them. And I used to dig in the tunnels for them and used to just, everything they used to tell me to do, I used to d

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