He survived captivity. Now he needs help to survive recovery.

My cousin, Maxim Harkin, survived 738 days of pure hell in Gaza. The things he went through and saw… he said they were worse than any horror movie ever made.

Before October 7th, Maxim was the only one supporting his family. His mother and younger brother lived with him and depended on him completely, and he was also financially and emotionally supporting his 5-year-old daughter.

When the attack on the Nova festival began, Maxim saw people who were running right next to him get shot and killed. On that now-famous “battlefield of death” the entire world saw on social media, Max managed to run ahead of the friends he came with and could have escaped — but when one of them called him asking for help, he chose to turn back and run back to help his friend. He ran straight toward the gunfire, grabbed his friend by the hand, and sprinted with them, dodging bullets on that death field while festival-goers around them were collapsing and dying.

After hiding inside a bush for a short time, they suddenly heard the scariest sounds of death — dozens of terrorists closing in from all directions and shooting nonstop into the bushes, firing at anyone hiding there. When the terrorists reached his bush, they opened fire just like they did on all the others and Maxim saw how his friends took their last breath in front of his eyes — but by some miracle, Maxim survived those bullets. Right after that, he was dragged out the bush, beaten by many terrorists, and taken as hostage into Gaza.

For more than two years, he was trapped in tiny rooms, and moved underground into tunnels so narrow he couldn’t even stretch out because of his height. He survived on very small amount of food, shared with other hostages, and drank water crawling with insects. He lost around 70 pounds from being starved. Day and night, he heard rockets exploding nearby and gunfire echoing through the tunnels, living each day with the haunting thought that it could be his last.

Maxim was one of the last hostages that was released from captivity on Oct. 13th — but just because he is free doesn’t mean he is okay.

A lot of people have heard that once hostages are released, everything will be taken care of and that they will all receive large lump sums of money — but that’s not the full reality. Yes, Israel has said they will cover his medical care for life, and we’ve heard there may be financial support or lump sum payments in the future, but those amounts haven't been confirmed . Those numbers people see online are not guaranteed for every hostage, and no one knows how much, when, or even if each person will receive the same amount. Everything depends on the severity of the trauma each hostage suffered during those two years in captivity, and those decisions are still being made.

Your donation will help Maxim:

All funds will go directly to Maxim in Israel to help him rebuild his life after surviving something most people couldn’t even imagine living through. And we'd also like to thank everyone in advance for all contributions made regardless of the amount.

Due to bank transfer requirements, I will be receiving the funds and sending the money to Maxim.