Family members of the hostage Evyatar David released a video of David received from Hamas shortly after he was taken hostage on October 7, N12 reported on Friday.
"Never have I seen a person so terrified," N12 quoted David's family saying. The family noted they had expected an execution video rather than a video confirming he was taken hostage.
The video begins by showing David, wearing a torn shirt, being hit by a gun's stock while his arms are handcuffed and behind his back on a pick-up truck, presumably inside the Gaza Strip.
While David's face is only half visible, "the terror is felt in every second," his family captioned the video.
"בחיים לא ראיתי בן אדם מפחד ככה": בני משפחתו של אביתר דוד פרסמו תיעוד חדש מחטיפתוhttps://t.co/a7xEIjokcj | @michalpeylan pic.twitter.com/yfiNwqDTai
— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) September 6, 2024
Shortly after October 7, when David was still considered missing, Yaella, David's sister, received a message with an image where David's terror is seen, and confirming he was taken hostage.
The video mentions that Yaella received two additional videos after the image. In the first video, David is seen with hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal and other young Israeli captives, all on the floor of a dark room with their hands cuffed behind their backs."
'Expected to see an execution'
In the second video filmed by Hamas that Yaella received, David, still wearing the same torn shirt, is seen being dragged in a headlock through one of Gaza's streets "with the same look of terror," his family stated.
Yaella further emphasized she had "expected to see an execution, never have I imagined he would be taken hostage."
David's brother, Ilay, added to Yaella's description of David's fear, emphasizing he has never seen someone as terrified as David is seen in the video.
Both siblings expressed their hopes for his safe return, saying they "always imagine the moment Evyatar returns and hugs our parents. We will wait however long we must wait."
They further stated they were certain their brother was still alive and that he would return, stating, "This is the only solution."