Ilay David Urges Attention: Time is Running Out for His Brother, Evyatar, Held Hostage by Hamas

Evyatar David, a music lover who dreams of working in the industry, is languishing in a Hamas tunnel, according to his brother, Ilay David. 

In a recent conversation with Fox News Digital, Ilay warned that his brother and all the hostages are running out of time.

Ilay expressed his longing for the weekly music sessions they used to have together, which he considers the most missed aspect since his brother Evyatar’s detention began on Oct. 7, 2023. According to Ilay, Evyatar is described as the most compassionate person he knows.

During the Nova music festival on the fateful day of Oct. 7, 2023, Evyatar, accompanied by three friends, fell victim to the onset of attacks by Hamas. Sadly, two of his friends did not survive, leading to Evyatar and his best friend Guy Gilboa-Dalal being seized as hostages.

Hamas hostage Evyatar David, left, stands next to his brother, Ilay David, in a photo taken prior to his kidnapping. ( )

As time passes, Ilay’s worries for his brother escalate, especially after learning from former hostages who shared the harsh conditions they endured while being held captive alongside Evyatar. According to Ilay’s account to Fox News Digital, these ex-hostages revealed that Evyatar and Guy spent most of their captivity underground in tunnels, only occasionally being brought up to the surface to see sunlight during certain ceremonies. Similar to the plight of many hostages, both men are provided with minimal food and have restricted access to water.

“But it’s only a matter of time until — I don’t know — one of the terrorists would just… be angry or upset. So, he will decide that he wants to execute, execute Evyatar or Guy. And I don’t want to think about it, but it happened already,” Ilay told Fox News Digital, likely referring to the six hostages who were shot dead in late August 2024, just before Israeli troops were able to reach them.

A poster with a photograph of Evyatar David, who is held hostage in Gaza, is placed on a table in front of Ilay David, his brother, during a House Foreign Affairs Committee roundtable discussion with family members of hostages held in Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Feb. 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

Ilay told Fox News Digital he has done everything possible to tell his brother’s story and to make him “visible,” including going to Washington, D.C., to meet with American lawmakers. He believes President Donald Trump has a “very big role” to play in securing the release of Evyatar and the remaining hostages. 

“[Trump], no kidding, may be sent by God to save these people,” Ilay said. He cited the release of 33 hostages over the course of the ceasefire deal that only recently fell apart, and said that if it weren’t for Trump, those people would still be in Gaza.

Ilay told Fox News Digital that, in his eyes, the atrocities of Oct. 7 have not ended — they are still happening for the people held by Hamas in Gaza.