Hope in the dark tunnels
The story of Segev Kalfon
Segev survived Gaza by drawing hope from Joseph’s story
From Gaza to the Bible story
Recently, a good friend sent me an incredible story. It is the remarkable, verified account of Segev Kalfon, one of the Israeli hostages who was held captive in the tunnels of Hamas. It immediately grabbed my attention. Just imagine: 738 days. That’s more than two years spent in absolute darkness.
Surviving through a story
How do you survive something like that? How do you prevent yourself from sinking into despair, depression, or worse?
For Segev, salvation came from the most unexpected source. He found strength in an Islamic TV series about Joseph, the son of Jacob. The story of the prophet Joseph gave him hope. Not surprising, because Joseph himself had also been in prison. What makes it truly miraculous is that Segev’s father Kobi was encouraged by a rabbi to read and pray about Joseph and Jacob during that very period. When they were reunited and Segev heard this, he was extremely surprised. Without knowing the Bible, he discovered the story there, in the pitch dark.
The kidnapping and hell
Segev was only 27 when he was kidnapped from the music festival in the Negev desert. What followed was the hell of the Hamas tunnels: brutal beatings, flogging, and a dire lack of everything—food, water, hygiene. Time crawled by, endlessly. Finally, on October 13 of this year, he was released as part of the first exchange. More than two years of inhumane captivity were behind him.
Faith in the darkness
His survival came from an unexpected source: the discovery of faith. In the impenetrable darkness of the tunnels, Segev saw a striking parallel between his own fate and the story of Joseph. Joseph, too, had been betrayed, wronged, and thrown into a pit. Like his biblical predecessor, Segev clung to the hope of redemption. He felt that even captivity could be a moment when God’s light breaks through the deepest darkness. Joseph’s story gave him the courage to carry on.
The scars remain
Segev suffered severe physical and mental scars. He already suffered from PTSD due to his military service, and this hostage-taking only exacerbated that trauma. There was no comprehensive medical care. The hell of survival has left its mark on him; he has become a different person. The rest of his life is dominated by the enormous consequences of the kidnapping and abuse, and the search for healing.
The biblical Joseph and the turning point
What makes this story so intriguing is the unmistakable resemblance to the biblical Joseph. He too ended up in prison on false charges—that time for allegedly trying to seduce the wife of Potiphar, where he worked as a slave. It must have been an ordeal, for the Bible says that “his feet were put in fetters, and his soul came into irons” (Psalm 105:17-18). That is intense, and an unimaginable cruelty.
And yet, in the midst of that darkness, God was with him. Just as in Potiphar’s house, it is repeatedly emphasized that God was with Joseph. Thanks to that grace, he even gained favor with the prison warden. In the midst of his “tunnel” of imprisonment, he became a blessing. And then, the unexpected turning point: Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams became his salvation. Two years later, Pharaoh himself had an incomprehensible dream, and thanks to Joseph’s interpretation, he was not only freed but even elevated.
From Joseph to Jesus
And so, via Segev and Joseph, we come to Jesus. The similarities between Joseph and Jesus are striking!
Joseph was the beloved son of his father Jacob; God said of Jesus in Matthew 3:17 that He “had pleasure in Him”. Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers to see how they were doing; as the messenger from heaven, Jesus brought a life-changing invitation; it was a direct offer from His Father to all people: believe in the Son and receive a new, unbreakable relationship with God. Both were hated, rejected, and betrayed. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, Jesus for thirty—in both cases, the price of a slave. Philippians 2:7 also calls Jesus a “servant” or “slave.” What a comfort it must have been for Segev to find in Joseph’s story of suffering a beacon of hope, a foreshadowing of the ultimate redemption that would come for him too.
Holding on to the true Redeemer
Just as Joseph was elevated from prisoner to viceroy, Jesus was elevated by the Father to His right hand (Philippians 2:9). Joseph saved his family and his people; Jesus is the Savior of the world, the Bread of Life. Joseph forgave his treacherous brothers and saved their lives. Jesus embraced us, His former enemies, gave us forgiveness, and brought us into the Kingdom of God.
What a beautiful line: from the pit in Gaza, through the pit in Egypt, to Jesus! He was not imprisoned, but voluntarily descended into death to free us—all who are without God in darkness—from our slavery. We no longer need to be slaves. Jesus took on the form of a servant to abolish our slavery and make us children of God. He exalts us through our faith in His finished work, just as Joseph was exalted to viceroy. Let us pray that Segev Kalfon, after his impressive journey with Joseph, may find the way to the true Redeemer, who will also give him ultimate freedom.
@ Wim van Putten