Evyatar David Celebrates Eliya Cohen’s Wedding as a Resonant Triumph Over Hamas Captivity
Former Gaza hostage Evyatar David stood smiling beside his brother Ilai, playing guitar as wedding vows were exchanged—a vibrant scene of resilience that he later framed as the ultimate defiance against his former captors. Marking nearly a year since his release from 738 days of underground captivity, David pointed to the marriage of fellow survivor Eliya Cohen as a monumental closure and a profound victory over Hamas, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post and CNN.
The 25-year-old’s public return to joy follows a harrowing ordeal that began on October 7, 2023. Abducted from the Nova music festival alongside his childhood friend Guy Gilboa-Dalal—while two other close friends in their group were killed—David endured nearly two years of underground isolation, extreme starvation, and psychological abuse in the Gaza Strip.
The Haunting Legacy of Staged Propaganda and Extreme Deprivation
In August 2025, just months before his release on October 13, 2025, as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal, David appeared in a widely circulated Hamas propaganda video. Appearing weak and skeletal, he was filmed gripping a shovel inside a concrete tunnel, forced to dig what he was told was his own grave. David explained to international media that his captors selected him for the footage after comparing his deteriorated physical state to Gilboa-Dalal’s.
“It’s all staged, but it relies on the truth—we didn’t eat for three months,” David recounted in his first international media interview with CNN. He described how the guards enjoyed adequate food, air conditioning, and television while the hostages faced severe malnutrition that sparked constant internal stress and friction. This calculated psychological terror extended to earlier staged appearances, including a February 2025 event where he and Gilboa-Dalal were paraded before cameras during the release of two other captives.
Rehabilitation, Ongoing Trauma, and the Healing Power of Music
Since returning to his family, David has confronted the complex realities of post-traumatic stress disorder. Ahead of his media appearances, he shared on social media that his recovery remains erratic and unpredictable, noting that flashbacks and nightmares frequently disrupt his daily life. According to coverage by Le Monde, these nocturnal disruptions and intrusive memories continue to haunt him long after his physical liberation.
Amid the ongoing psychological hurdles, music has emerged as a vital therapeutic anchor during his rehabilitation. Whether strumming the guitar at family celebrations or standing witness to milestones like Eliya Cohen’s symbolic wedding, David channels his survival into a public commitment to ensure the world never forgets the grim realities endured by the remaining families and survivors.
Finding Closure in Shared Resilience
For David and his peers, milestones like weddings represent a reclamation of the futures Hamas attempted to extinguish. As international diplomatic efforts and peace prospects remain elusive, these personal victories offer an unyielding counter-narrative to terror. “They tried to ruin our lives and our families’ lives and eventually they didn’t manage to ruin everything,” David reflected.
The journey from the concrete tunnels of Gaza to the wedding canopy illustrates a profound testament to human endurance. How do you view the role of community celebrations in the healing process for survivors of extreme trauma? Share your thoughts below.
