“In all those hours, we were just walking like zombies — helpless, and the worst scenarios running through my head. Really, it was awful.”
Ilay David, 26, reflected on the first moments he and his family suspected that Hamas had kidnapped his younger brother, Evyatar, 22. Hamas terrorists captured him as he tried to flee the Nova music festival in Re’im, Israel, on Oct. 7. Evyatar took his mother’s car and drove to the festival with four of his friends late that Friday night, right after the holiday dinner.
Ilay now knows, with the rest of the world, that his brother was one of the many victims of a surprise attack on Israeli citizens in southern Israel. The assault took more than 1,400 lives on the first day. Hamas abducted about 240 people and took them to Gaza. Ilay waits for news at his family’s home in Kfar Saba, a short 20 minutes from Tel Aviv.
But he’s still trying to make sense of exactly what happened.
“As much as I know my brother, I think that he even didn’t run. I think he just walked, and he was so calm. Like the terrorists didn’t think that he was a threat to them. So, they just took him. That’s how I imagine it.”
A Typical Music Lover
Ilay’s brother only told him the day before that he was going to attend the music festival. It was no great surprise. Evyatar is a typical 22-year-old, very into music. He plays the
