Household of Hamas hostage says he is there, on the Sabbath desk, of their hearts

KFAR SABA, Israel — There was an empty chair on the Sabbath desk when Evyatar David’s household sat right down to dinner after sunset Friday.

It was the fourth time for the reason that 22-year-old Israeli was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 that those that love David probably the most needed to break bread with out him.

And despite the fact that on this night time the normal Jewish meal was held on the residence of David’s uncle, the ache was the identical.

“His vitality is lacking,” David’s 18-year-old sister, Ye’ela, stated.

“That is precisely what I used to be going to say,” David’s mom, Galia, 56, replied.

The final time they noticed David was precisely 4 weeks in the past, when the household sat down for the normal Jewish meal of their residence on the outskirts of Tel-Aviv.

David, they stated, was so enthusiastic about attending the Supernova music pageant the subsequent day he wolfed down his meals.

“I used to take a seat subsequent to him at each meal,” Ye’ela stated. “He was all the time right here.”

David fell into the arms of Hamas after the militants launched a shock assault on a number of targets in Israel, together with the Supernova music pageant he was attending.

Along with killing some 1,400 folks, together with youngsters and infants and igniting the present struggle with Israel, Hamas took lots of of hostages — one them David.

Since then, David’s mom and sister have been sleeping in his mattress. The household has tried to tune out the information as a lot as attainable. And David’s all the time taciturn father, Avishay, 63, has grown much more silent as the times with out his youthful son have became weeks.

Nonetheless, the household is refusing to surrender hope that David will come residence. And when the wine was poured and the blessing was stated, his large brother Elai, 26, tacked on a prayer for his protected return.

“He is right here, he is right here,” David’s mom insisted, rising emotional and pointing at her coronary heart. “He might be again.”

The heartbroken household welcomed NBC Information into its midst a couple of week after talks to free the greater than 200 hostages that stay in Hamas’ arms broke down.

David managed to contact his tight-knit household earlier than he was captured. Quickly afterward, Hamas launched propaganda video footage of David handcuffed and looking out terrified.

These photos of David made their manner into an alert launched final month by the Israeli Overseas Ministry.

In an earlier Oct. 9 interview with NBC Information, apprehensive kin stated not realizing what was occurring to David was torture to them.

“All you’ve gotten is your creativeness,” Jonathan Guttman, who’s David’s cousin, stated.

Pals who escaped the Hamas raid informed the household that David had tried to assist different concertgoers escape and that he stayed again to are inclined to the injured, stated Guttman, who’s 31 and lives in Prague.

That’s David’s nature, his cousin stated, calling him “a really robust individual, very supportive.” 

Guttman stated the Israel Protection Forces confirmed that David had been taken hostage by Hamas not lengthy after the video surfaced. He stated the footage was horrifying, nevertheless it additionally gave them a glimmer of hope.

“He appears unhurt, which is mainly a miracle contemplating what went on in that music pageant,” Guttman stated. “We’re grateful for what we obtained on this scenario.”

“He’s nonetheless simply beginning his life proper now,” he added.

Palestinian well being officers say greater than 9,000 folks have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the struggle. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dominated out any cease-fire till Hamas frees all of the hostages.

Richard Engel, Marc Smith and Gabe Joselow reported from Kfar Saba, Israel, Corky Siemaszko reported from New York Metropolis.