Gelienor “Jimmy” Leano Pacheco, a Filipino national, was abducted on October 7 and returned to Israel as part of the November 2023 ceasefire/hostage release deal.

Jimmy is currently celebrating the birth of a new daughter with his wife in the Philippines. In a touching gesture, the released captive chose to name his fourth daughter Israela.

On October 7, Jimmy, then a 33-year-old father of three, was in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he worked as a caregiver for Amitai Ben Zvi, H’yd, 80. When the assault began, Amitai pleaded with Jimmy to run and hide and save himself, but he refused to leave the elderly man’s side. Moments later, Amitai, z’l, was murdered in front of his eyes, and Jimmy was brutally abducted to Gaza.

After his release, Jimmy spoke with Ben Tzvi’s sons, Ido and Gilad, and described to them the moments of terror on the morning of the massacre, Ynet reported.

“Abba told me to tell you that he loves you and shouted to me: ‘Go, run, save yourself,'” he told them.

About a week after he was released from captivity as part of the first hostage deal, Pachesko was interviewed by CBN Asia and described what happened that morning: “I heard gunfire in the nearby houses. I left a message on the phone for my wife. I told her, ‘Take care of our children. Save the money I earned working in Israel for their future.'”

He also described the harsh conditions of captivity: “Sometimes there was no gas supply because of the war, so I got half a pita a day. I didn’t eat it all at once. Every time my stomach growled I ate a little—but it wasn’t enough.”

“The water was salty. I told myself there was no way I would survive because I have a history of kidney problems.”

“If I needed the bathroom, I had to ask the terrorists. They gave me a little toilet paper each time, and I didn’t use it—I put it in my pocket. It seemed as if we were 40 meters underground, and because of that, the walls were damp. I stuck the paper I saved to the walls—until it got wet. Then I put it in my mouth and ate it—and that’s how my stomach wasn’t empty.”

He said that he drew strength from thoughts of his children. “That’s why I ate the paper—for them. I had to survive. I said to G-d, ‘At the age of 12 my father left me. Don’t do that to them too, let me live. I’m willing to stay here even ten years; just let me live.'”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)