| Kidnapping of Evyatar David | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGaza war hostage crisis | |
.jpeg) Evyatar David (center) flanked by his parents soon after his release on 13 October 2025 | |
| Location | Eshkol Regional Council, Israel |
| Date | October 7, 2023 (2023-10-07)–October 13, 2025 (2025-10-13) |
Attack type | Kidnapping |
Evyatar David (Hebrew:אביתר דוד) is anIsraeli man who was kidnapped during theNova music festival massacre of theOctober 7 attacks, and was held as a hostage byHamas until October 13, 2025, when he was released as part of ahostage-prisoner exchange.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing informationadding missing information ormaking an edit request.(January 2026) |
Evyatar David was born on December 24, 2000, to Avishai and Galia David.[1][2] He is fromKfar Saba.[3] He has a brother Ilay, and a sister Yeela.[2] David had been childhood best friends with fellow hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, since the age of one and a half when they began Yael preschool inKfar Saba.[4]
David spent October 6, with his family before he headed out with friends to attend theNova festival nearRe'im.[4] David was kidnapped from the Nova festival during theOctober 7 attacks.[3] Reportedly after the family heard rocket fire near their home and had taken shelter, David's mother began texting with him with the last message being received at 7:43 am.[4] He reported being shot at and trying to escape by vehicle, before the connection was lost.[5] He was taken with his childhood best friendGuy Gilboa-Dalal.[6] His family saw videos around about 2pm that had been sent to them showing David being led away with his hand tied by Hamas militants.[4]
David and Gilboa-Dalal were shown in a video taken on February 22, 2025, during theJanuary 2025 ceasefire watching the release of three other hostages,Omer Shem Tov,Eliya Cohen andOmer Wenkert, after 505 days. David and Gilboa-Dalal were not freed and remained as hostages. The video was the first sign of life from David since being kidnapped, and the first of Gilboa-Dalal since June 2024.[7]
In March 2025 it was reported that David and Gilboa-Dalal were being held with their hands and feet tied, bags over their heads, and fed very little in complete darkness, which makes it difficult to know what they are eating. They receive one shower a month with a bucket of water. David does not have his glasses and is unable to see well.[8]
In August 2025, on the day that coincided with the Jewish commemoration day ofTisha B'Av,Hamas released footage of David showing him in an severelyemaciated state and forced todig his own grave.[9] Pale and sallow, David stated that he had not eaten in days and received little water to drink. The video was juxtaposed by footage of emaciated Gazan children.[10][11] A similar video was released byPalestinian Islamic Jihad depicting hostageRom Braslavski.[12][13]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and David's family members claimed that the video was proof that the hostages were being deliberately malnourished by Hamas. David's family stated that Hamas were attempting to exploit thehumanitarian crisis in Gaza for propaganda purposes, and accused Hamas of purposefully restricting or divertinghumanitarian aid into Gaza. David's family claimed that footage from the released video, such as the "large" arm of a Hamas fighter handing David a can of food, show that Hamas members are well fed amid theGaza famine.[14] In a letter to theUnited Nations Security Council, Hamas stated that the hostages "are experiencing the same conditions as the people of Gaza"[15] who faced chronic food shortages and restrictions of aid amid Israel's2023 blockade of the Gaza Strip.[10][16][11][17] The video led to international outcry and sparked protests inHostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel.[17]
An Instagram post shared byGreta Thunberg and other pro-Palestinian activists in October 2025 featured a still image of David from the August video, suggesting he is a sufferingPalestinian prisoner held by Israel. The post was mocked on social media and condemned by David's sister, Yeela, and educatorAviva Klompas. Yeela David called on Thunberg to delete the post.[18][19]
.jpg)
David's family compared it tothe Holocaust, referring to him as amuselmann. They said his life was in "immediate danger", and that he had been "deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza". They also describing him as "a living skeleton, buried alive."[12] In an interview withGeoff Bennett onPBS NewsHour, David's cousin, Matan Eshet, pointed out that the Hamas captor had a much larger hand and arm than David, showing the former is well-fed. Eshet continued that the captor also is tanned, showing he has been outside regularly.[20] TheIsraeli foreign ministry also mentioned the contrast in a tweet.[21]
The video was also condemned by several world leaders:
European Union –High Representative for Foreign AffairsKaja Kallas said that the video exposes "the barbarity" of Hamas, calling for them to disarm and end its rule in Gaza.[12]
France – PresidentEmmanuel Macron called it "abject cruelty, an unlimited inhumanity", which "embodies Hamas".[12] France’s foreign minister also called for humanitarian aid to be supplied to the people of Gaza in massive quantities while denouncing the video he labelled as "despicable".[17]
Germany – ChancellorFriedrich Merz said he was "appalled" by the footage. "Hamas is torturing hostages, terrorising Israel, and using Gaza’s population as a human shield."[12] The German government called on Israel to deliver more aid to Gaza and called the current amount "insufficient".[17]
ICRC – The organization stated it was "appalled" and that this is "stark evidence of the life-threatening conditions in which the hostages are being held". They called for access to the hostages to assess their condition, provide medical support, as well as contact with their families.[13]
Israel – Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu expressed "profound shock" and told hostage families that the govern "will continue constantly and relentlessly" seek their release.[13]
United Kingdom – Foreign SecretaryDavid Lammy said that "images of hostages being paraded for propaganda are sickening" and the hostages must be released "unconditionally".[13]
United States – PresidentDonald Trump responded to a question at a press conference, saying that the video was "horrible" and he hoped more people would see it.[22][23]TheAmerican Jewish Committee took out a full-page advertisement inThe New York Times which showed side by side photos of David before his kidnapping and astill from the video, beneath the caption "Kidnapped. Starved."[24][non-primary source needed] British singerJessie J shared stills from the video of David on her Instagram account, calling them heart breaking and stated "To see the past become present is a horror. Never Again. Again"[25]
Columnist Aviya Kushner wrote inThe Forward that there is a stark difference between portrayals of the video in Israeli and American media. Israeli media shows the full video, while American media shows selectively-picked stills.[26]
TheHostages and Missing Families Forum called on Netanyahu and the government to "expedite the negotiations and bring about the immediate return of all the hostages" when David appeared in the Hamas video in February 2025.[7]
At aUnited Nations Security Council discussion on the hostage crisis, Ilay David spoke about his brother's conditions and criticized the council for their silence, and what he views as complicity in the continued crisis.[27] Netanyahu spoke with the regional head of theInternational Committee of the Red Cross and "asked for his involvement in the immediate providing of food and medical care to our hostages".[12] The Israeli government placed an advertisement photograph of David on abillboard inTimes Square, with the captions "Hamas is starving the Israeli hostages" and "Ignored by the media too busy echoing Hamas propaganda". The display was intended to highlight the ongoingGaza war hostage crisis, in light of allegations offamine in Gaza, which Israel Consul General in New YorkOfir Akunis labelled ablood libel.[28]
Ilay and Yeela David, along with former hostagesOhad andRaz Ben Ami, met with President Trump and other administration officials in September 2025. During the meeting, Trump pledged his support and commitment to bring the hostages home. Galia David and other relatives of hostages also met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to reenforce the priority of freeing the hostages in any discussions.[29]
As part of theGaza Peace Plan, he was released on October 13, 2025. Prior to his release David was one of many hostages who were able to video call family members while still being held by Hamas.[30][31] David and Gilboa-Dalal were reunited after their release at theRabin Medical Center inPetah Tikva, Israel, after being separated and held separately for the last two months as hostages.[32]
