'Still with me': Evyatar David recalls captivity, being forced to dig his grave in first interview

Former hostage Evyatar David, abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, shared his experiences in captivity with Channel 12's Uvda. David, held by Hamas until October 13, 2025, recounted his kidnapping alongside childhood friend Guy Gilboa-Dalal, with whom he remained captive. He detailed the extreme starvation and the emotional toll of their confinement, including arguments over meager rations. A particularly harrowing account involved being forced to dig his own grave for a Hamas propaganda video. David described the moment: "They simply told me, 'All right, take it. There is a shovel here. Get inside. This is going to be your grave.'" He emphasized his will to live throughout the ordeal, stating, "I was alive every second." David concluded that the trauma, including the image of "that thin young man with the shovel, digging his grave, is still with me."