An Israeli hostage who was forced to dig his own grave by Hamas has been reunited with his family after being released from captivity on Monday after two gruelling years.
Evyatar David, 24, appeared skeletal and emaciated in the disturbing video released in August. The footage showed him marking his days in captivity on a piece of paper pinned to the walls of a tunnel, and using a spade to dig his own grave.
He was taken hostage by Hamas at the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023 and endured 738 days in captivity. He was taken along with his childhood best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who has also been released.
In the footage, the cafe worker was heard saying: “I haven’t eaten for days… I barely got drinking water.” His family condemned the video and said they had been forced to watch him being “buried alive”.
“They are on the absolute brink of death,” his brother, Ilay, said at a rally in the aftermath of the footage. “In the current unimaginable condition, they may have only days left to live.”
In the first images since his release, Mr David appeared in good spirits as he celebrated his newfound freedom. He was later seen with his parents, Avishai and Galia, in a reunion picture.
Rinat Israeli, the mother of one of Mr David’s close friends, was overwhelmed as she and others gathered to watch his release.
“There is no way to describe such a moment, it is like nothing before,” she told Mail Online. “I was waiting for this moment for two years. When he was inside, it was like I could not breathe. This is the feeling. Every single moment he was in there, it is like you are living in two places. Now I can start to breathe again.”
Tal Shoham, an Israeli hostage released after 505 days in captivity, said that he, Mr David and Mr Gilboa-Dalal spent the first eight months with Hamas above ground. However, as the war intensified, they were taken underground in disguise.
They were escorted by guards for about 15 minutes before being taken into a tunnel and eventually a tiny dark chamber where another hostage – Omer Wenkert – was already being held.
On Monday, all 20 remaining living hostages were released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as the first phase of president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 20-point Gaza plan was completed.
However, 154 Palestinian prisoners have been deported outside of Israel and occupied Palestine, as their families were left devastated.
Israel has said that all hostages have undertaken initial medical assessments and are on their way to being reunited with their families.
Mr David had texted his family shortly before he was taken by Hamas saying: “They are bombarding the party.”
The bodies of two hostages have been returned, but 26 remain in Gaza. defence minister Israel Katz said that the partial return marked a “failure to meet commitments”.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire deal.
The ceasefire deal did acknowledge that the bodies of hostages may not be located in time to meet the Monday deadline.
