Tel Aviv [Israel] February 23 : Galia David, the mother of hostage Evyatar David, has spoken out about the emotional turmoil she experienced watching her son in a propaganda video released by Hamas on Saturday, The Jerusalem Post reported.
In interviews with multiple Israeli media outlets, David shared her heartbreaking reaction to seeing her son, who has been held captive for 16 months, forced to watch the release of six other hostages.
Talking to the Army Radio she said, "I hesitated for a moment whether I wanted to watch the video, but I felt I had to see my child. He was frightened and frustrated; it was obvious that he had been staged."
The sight of her son, who is not an actor, being forced to play a role with a gun to his head was particularly distressing for David.
The Jerusalem Post stated that along with Guy Gilboa-Dalal, David was seen in the video as the two were forced to watch the release of the six hostages from Hamas captivity.
What made the experience even more painful was seeing Evyatar, who wears glasses, without them, likely struggling to see. Despite the challenges, David found solace in knowing that her son was being held with his close friend Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was also seen in the video.
"My son is not a great actor, and they still put my son in a role with a gun over his head. I recognize an unfortunate child who is taken; let him look at his friends who were with him in the tunnels and go to the country, and then sent back to the darkness to wander in the tunnels when he doesn't know what's happening to him. This is simply cruelty," Galia David
David's message to the Israeli government was clear: "The State must return our children." She emphasized the strong bond formed between the hostages over the past 16 months and expressed her hope for a positive outcome.
"I assume that the bonds formed over 16 months are strong regardless. Their fates have become intertwined, and this must end well. The State must return our children," she added.
Her words come as six other hostages - Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham Al-Sayed - were released from the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
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