We will play music together again.
We will hug you again. We will travel to Thailand together. We will celebrate your return.
It has been more than 420 days since Oct. 7, 2023 - more than a year in which my brother Evyatar David has been held in captivity underground in Gaza by Hamas terrorists, enduring inhumane conditions. Evyatar is only 23 years old, and his only "crime" was celebrating life, enjoying music, and dancing at the Nova Music Festival on that terrible day. He was taken hostage alongside one of his friends, while two other friends who were with him at the festival were murdered in cold blood.
I am Ilay, his older brother, and I have one urgent message: Evyatar and all 101 hostages must come home now. The world stands with us in this demand - the American people have shown tremendous support, but as we face potential changes in administration, we cannot afford to wait any longer. These hostages - our loved ones - are being tortured physically, sexually, and mentally every day.
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As I write these words, they are dying in Hamas's underground tunnels without air or sunlight. We know that more than half of the hostages are still alive, breathing, struggling every day to survive the horrific conditions. More than half. They are parents, they are children, they are grandparents, they are siblings. They are counting on us - on all of us - to bring them back home.
There is no more time. For the past year, my family and I have done everything possible to bring Evyatar home. Our greatest fear is that it was all in vain. Innocent people who were kidnapped alive and survived months of harsh captivity are being killed. They wait to be saved, but instead may be executed by their brutal captors. This is happening now. How can I maintain hope for my beloved brother's return when today's "good news" means that hostages' bodies were recovered from Gaza? At least those families have some clarity and closure - we live in times when burying our loved ones has become a privilege.
The hardest part of this past year has been the uncertainty. There is so much unknown, leaving me to imagine the worst. Where exactly is Evyatar? What does he eat? How does he sleep? Does he know we are fighting with everything we have to bring him back?
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I still believe it will happen. I will see Evyatar hugging our parents again. We will play music together again. But right now, I live in two parallel realities. In one, there is hope and optimism - every mention of an agreement brings possibility. In the other reality, there is only disappointment and despair. How many times can hopes rise only to be dashed? I cannot allow myself to expect anything anymore.
How do you continue believing and hoping for a safe return while guarding against expectations? This is the reality our family and so many others have faced for over a year now. It is time, more than ever, to change that reality - to restore hope and bring our loved ones to safety. So we can embrace them again. So we can make music together again. So all the hostages can return to their families, or receive the dignity of proper burial for those we have lost.
I love you, little brother, and I can't wait to see you home soon.
