Gaza deal: From digging own grave to hugging family - the story of Israeli hostage Evyatar David

For two long years, Evyatar David lived with the fear that he might never see his family again. In a video released by Hamas in August this year, he was seen digging at the sand at the base of a narrow tunnel, saying, "I’m walking directly to my grave. This is the grave where I think I’m going to be buried.” On Monday, that fear ended. David was freed as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal and was reunited with his family, embracing them after years of uncertainty and pain.

Evyatar David was reunited with his family and told them, “everything is okay already.”

His immense strength and determination are apparent, representing that of Am Yisrael. 💙🇮🇱

May Evyatar begin his healing journey after the most horrific, unimaginable, 2-year-long period of… pic.twitter.com/NBjhMZo9bO

— Maccabee Task Force (@MacTaskForce) October 13, 2025

Hamas released the last remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip , as part of an agreement reached last week between Israel and the Palestinian group, which mediators hope could help end the two-year war.

The release began Monday morning when the first seven hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza. The Red Cross then transferred them to the Israeli military , which brought them back to Israel. Hours later, another 13 hostages were freed. Under the agreement, Israel will respond to the release by freeing 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and another 1,700 Palestinians detained during the war, including women and children.

Among those released was Evyatar David, a young man last seen in a video posted by Hamas in August, in which he appeared emaciated and feared he would die in captivity.

Evyatar David greeted by cheers as he arrives at Beilinson Hospital in Israel.

He will undergo medical evaluation and treatment after over 2 years in captivity.

He was held in a tunnel and appeared skeletal in a video released during captivity in August.

🎥 @Beilinson_eng pic.twitter.com/AD4J1yj8yS

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) October 13, 2025

David, 24, was at the Nova music festival in southern Israel with friends when Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. Two of his friends were killed, and he was taken hostage.

"I’m walking directly to my grave," David said in the August video, as he dug at the sand at the base of a narrow tunnel. "This is the grave where I think I’m going to be buried."

David was among the hostages released on Monday and was taken to an Israeli hospital after being transferred by the Red Cross. His best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was also kidnapped at the Nova festival, was released on the same day.

A video shared on social media showed David hugging his family after being reunited.

David’s family is from Kfar Saba in central Israel. Before his abduction, he worked in a cafe and was saving for a trip to Thailand.