'My little brother was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists - I live in constant fear'

The brother of a missing Israeli hostage snatched by a year ago today says he wants nothing more than to hug his younger sibling again.

Ilay David, 27, hasn’t been able to speak to 23-year-old Evyatar David since the fateful events of October 7, 2023, when he - along with 40 others - after armed Hamas militants stormed the grounds and opened fire on terrified music lovers. Another 260 festival-goers were massacred as they fled, with some .

Ilay says his father, Avishai, has barely slept in the 12 months since Evyatar was taken hostage. Their mother, Galia, eats little, and every snippet of news about the remaining hostages brings fear to the David family.

“We know they are being kept in inhumane conditions; we know that from the testimonies of hostages who have since returned,” says Ilay. “We know that from the footage of the terror tunnels, where Hamas has been keeping the hostages. Those who are still alive are decaying. They are dying, and I have to believe my little brother will one day come home.”

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Evyatar was with three close friends at the festival when panic spilt out. Two of his friends were slaughtered as they ran; Evyatar and his best friend, Guy, were kidnapped at gunpoint as they attempted to drive away.

His family were terrified as they watched helplessly from home as news of the massacre spread. Desperately scrolling through Telegram and social media for any mention of their brother, Ilay and his sister Ye'ela eventually found a video of Evyatar, shirtless and bound, being dragged in a headlock by machine gun-wielding militants.

Now 12 months on, Ilay is haunted by video taunts from Hamas about the fate of his brother. "I know every stage of the kidnapping because they showed me not very kindly," he says. "They broadcasted all the atrocities they've made, including some of the kidnapping. And one of the hostages broadcasted was my brother. So I know exactly what happened to him on October 7."

Evyatar, his family believes, remains alive, and their hope is that Hamas will release him as part of a deal, as they have done with a number of other hostages. "I know that he is strong and he's trying to survive, and he is doing whatever he can. It's a matter of time," says Ilay.

"Those barbarians can just pull the trigger every now and again. We saw it [a few] weeks ago when they executed six hostages. And that's what I'm trying to stress all the time, that they are dying there. They are dying, and if we will keep waiting, if we will not demand Hamas release the hostages immediately, then there will be nobody to release at the end."

The only way Ilay can sleep at night is to picture the moment Evyatar is released into the arms of his family. “I think only about one option, and I go to sleep with the image of my brother coming back, hugging my parents hard, and I wake up with that image every morning,” he says quietly. “But I also live in constant fear that the worst will happen. And it frustrates me, being in that situation all the time. But that’s my life right now, that’s my mission. I have to do everything. He’s my little brother and I will do anything it takes to bring him back.”

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