Overview
- Evyatar David, who was seized at the Nova music festival in October 2023, was held in Gaza and released under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October 2025 after roughly two years in captivity.
- In an interview published Wednesday, David described extreme starvation, saying he went months with almost no food and was chosen to appear in a filmed propaganda scene in which he dug what captors called his own grave.
- David said guards had access to food, air conditioning and television while prisoners were starved, and that he could hear captors laughing and eating nearby during his physical collapse.
- He reports ongoing PTSD with nightmares and flashbacks and says recovery has been difficult, with music and family support central to his rehabilitation.
- David and his family have launched crowdfunding for his care and plan U.S. public appearances, and his account has renewed public focus on hostage propaganda, survivor support and state responsibility.