Two Israeli captives recount unthinkable Hamas brutality, demolishing false narratives pushed by pro-Palestinian sympathizers.
At the Israel Hayom Conference in New York, Israeli survivors Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David delivered a devastating, firsthand account of the inhuman torment they endured in Hamas’s underground terror tunnels—conditions that expose the true, barbaric nature of the Palestinian terror group that the world’s apologists relentlessly defend.
Evyatar described the overwhelming relief of freedom: “Waking up in a bed and not a tunnel—this is paradise,” he said, reflecting on months spent in suffocating darkness. The two men, friends since infancy, said captivity transformed their bond into something beyond family—a life-or-death partnership.
Their daily existence under Hamas was stripped of basic humanity. Food rations were microscopic—lentils, scraps of rice, a sliver of pita. They slept on four decaying mattresses lined beside a literal sewage pit crawling with worms and flies that swarmed their food. Guy recalled digging through “a pit of feces” with no alternative, a degradation that revealed Hamas’s deliberate cruelty.
Guy also revealed harrowing sexual assault at the hands of a Hamas guard—abuse he courageously chose to speak about publicly so other victims know they are not alone. When his body deteriorated, Evyatar became his lifeline, helping him stand, clean himself, and maintain dignity in a place designed to break the human soul.
The psychological torture was relentless. Hamas fed them propaganda through Al Jazeera broadcasts, insisting that Israel had abandoned them, their families didn’t care, and the IDF wanted them dead—classic terror-group brainwashing tactics used for decades by Palestinian extremists.
At one point, Evyatar broke emotionally after two fellow hostages were released: “I told Guy, ‘I’m not going to see my family.’” Guy silently feared for his brother, also kidnapped from the Nova festival. For a year and a half, he had no idea if he was alive.
In a powerful moment, Evyatar credited U.S. President Donald Trump for their eventual release: “When Trump was elected, we were sure it would help us—and it did. A lot because of him, we’re here.”
The conference ended with a moment of compassion when EL AL’s Communications Director Michal Gerstler appeared on stage, acknowledging the airline’s unwavering role during the war—flying when all foreign airlines abandoned Israel. EL AL gifted the two survivors plane tickets to Thailand, Japan, or any destination of their choosing.
“If anyone deserves to feel at home anywhere in the world, it’s both of you,” Gerstler said—an emotional tribute to their resilience after surviving the hideous cruelty of Hamas’s underground torture network.
