Israeli deployment forced to demolish grave-diggers ‘growing back into his old self’, father says
The father of an Israeli exile who was forced to dig his own grave in the Gaza Strip by Hamas told the BBC about his son’s life.
Avishai David was speaking after his 24-year-old son Davide and Evyatatar both 24 of those who will be freed – Gily Gilboa Dalal and Eitan Mor – were released from the hospital and welcomed their homes on Sunday.
“I can’t explain how happy it is to feel and see him giving back to him,” said Baba.
In August, two months before Evyatar’s release, Hamas had posted a video showing him in a small concrete tunnel – a move that drew condemnation from Israel and many western leaders.
Still Showing Israel’s Deployment Evyatar David Detained in the Gaza Strip From a Video Released in August by Hamas [Other]
Avishai David told the BBC he was delighted to see “the vitality of the development shaking every day, his color returning [to his face]his cheeks are full”.
“Thank God, you pulled it through and you’re strong.”
The father said he suffered for months knowing that his son was only “80km away … and I can’t help him”.
He said: “It hurt me,” means that he can sleep, eat and drink properly. “
In August, Evyatar’s brother Ilika told the BBC that the Hamas video is “a new form of brutality”.
“He’s a human skeleton. He’s been starving to death at any point, and he’s in big trouble,” Ilay said at the time.
In Fook itself, Evyatar said: “I have not eaten for days … I have not found water to drink.” He was seen digging what he said would be his grave.
On Sunday, arresting crowds – including many friends and neighbors – greeted Evyatar Davide as he returned to his hometown of Kfar Saba in central Israel.
Dr. Michal Shteinman, director of the Rabin Medical Center where the three hostages were treated, told the BBC that their bodies had “captive” marks.
“We can see their blood tests … and we’ve heard their stories … they don’t lie. You can see the marks of this metabolic disease. You can see the scars and the wounds.”
But Dr Shteinman added that the kidnappers “came back stronger than they were”.
Evyatar was kidnapped at the Nova Music concert during the Hamas-LED attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
He and 19 other hostages who were alive were released by Hamas under the first phase of a cease-fire that was to be completed by the US earlier this month.
Hamas also handed over 20 of the 28 hostages. Thirteen were Israeli, one was Nepalese and one was Thai.
In exchange, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 prisoners in Gaza, and returned 15 Palestinian bodies to Israel.
The IDF launched a military operation in Gaza in response to the attack of 7 October 2023, in which people belonging to Hamas were killed – which killed about 1,200 people in the south of Israel and took another 251 tailors.
More than 68,000 people have been killed by Israel’s attacks on Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures are seen by the reliable UN.
