Evyatar David: From Gaza Captivity to Ongoing Recovery

Evyatar David was abducted from the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 2023. He and his childhood friend Guy Gilboa Dalal were taken to Gaza, where they spent most of their confinement underground. After 738 days in captivity, David was among the final 20 living Israeli hostages released on October 13 2025 as part of a U.S.–brokered ceasefire agreement.

CNN

The October 7 assault resulted in dozens of civilian deaths and the seizure of hundreds of Israelis. Hamas used hostages for propaganda, staging videos that portrayed extreme suffering. In 2025 the captors filmed David digging a grave in a tunnel, a scene later broadcast worldwide.

The Jerusalem Post

• Age at abduction: 22; age at release: 25.

CNN

• Duration of captivity: 738 days.

CNN

• Number of hostages released in the October 13 2025 deal: 20 living.

CNN

• David reports “no food for three months” and describes “extreme starvation.”

YnetNews

David recounts that the captors allowed guards access to food, air-conditioning and television while the hostages endured constant hunger. He describes a “mental feeling” of never knowing when the next meal would arrive, leading to severe anxiety and occasional fights with Gilboa Dalal over the scant rations. He said the guards would laugh, eat cake and drink tea while the hostages “looked like a skeleton.”

CNN

He and his family launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund his rehabilitation.

YnetNews

Music has become a central coping tool. While he was detained, his siblings organized weekly jam sessions at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square; after his return, he continues to play guitar, including at his brother Ilai’s wedding. He says speaking about his experience “helps keep our stories alive” and plans to travel to the United States “next month” for a series of public appearances aimed at raising awareness of hostage trauma.

CNN

David’s testimony highlights gaps in post-captivity care for Israeli hostages, emphasizing the need for systematic psychological and financial support. His public outreach seeks to ensure that the suffering endured during the Gaza captivity is not forgotten and that future policies address the long-term rehabilitation of former detainees.

CNN

The claim of “no food for three months” rests on David’s personal account; independent verification of the exact starvation period has not been provided in the available sources.

YnetNews

• “They tried to ruin our [lives] and our families’ lives and eventually they didn’t manage to ruin everything,” — David. He

CNN

• “I wake up at night with nightmares, and it affects me all day after that. It’s very unstable and random.” — Notably

The Jerusalem Post

• Travel to the United States “next month” for speaking engagements.

The Jerusalem Post

• Ongoing crowdfunding efforts to finance his rehabilitation.

YnetNews

• Continued public advocacy to press the Israeli government for enhanced support to former hostages.

The Jerusalem Post