"I can't believe this happened to me": Evyatar David marks one year since his release from captivity

Former hostage Evyatar David marked one year since his release from Hamas captivity, recalling the first moments of freedom. Alongside moving footage of his reunion with his parents and siblings, he shared his feelings: "Sometimes I myself can't believe this happened to me." He said everything can change for the better in an instant, no matter how bad the situation is. David was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, spent 738 days in captivity, and underwent a rehabilitation process for post-trauma.

Former hostage Evyatar David marked one year since his release from Hamas captivity, recalling the first moments of freedom. Alongside the moving footage of his reunion with his parents and siblings, he shared his feelings: "Sometimes I myself can't believe this happened to me." He said everything can change for the better in an instant, no matter how bad the situation is. David was kidnapped from the Nova music festival together with his childhood friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal. On the morning of the attack, he managed to speak with his mother. Hours later, videos were circulated on Hamas channels showing him lying on the ground. As a talented musician who played acoustic and classical guitar, he aspired to continue developing his musical career. His shocking documentation from captivity, in which he was seen extremely thin and even forced to dig his own grave, was part of a Hamas campaign. In the past year, Evyatar has faced a long and complex rehabilitation process from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and worked for Israeli advocacy by revealing parts of the atrocities he endured to the world.