Hamas terror survivor hopeful about his abducted brother life

Israeli Nova Survivor Gal Gilboa Dalal, brother of hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal in an interview has hoped that his brother is alive in Hamas custody.

“I have no doubt that I will see my brother again. I have no choice but to believe that. But I never thought it would take this long. Right now, I feel like we are closer than ever to the second phase of the deal, but there are still so many things that could go wrong. That’s why the world must continue to put pressure on every side involved—to ensure that this deal moves forward and that the hostages come home,” said Gal.

Guy Gilboa Dalal, 23, was taken hostage on October 7th from the Nova Festival, along with his best friend, Evyatar David. He was last seen in a video released by Hamas, handcuffed on the floor in Gaza. His parents, Meirav and Ilan, along with his brother, Gal, and sister, Noga, are waiting for his safe return.

In his interview Gal added, “I never expected my brother to be part of the first phase of the hostage release, and deep down, I knew he wouldn’t be. Even though we understand that all the hostages in Gaza are suffering under dire humanitarian conditions, we live through a rollercoaster of emotions—one moment, we feel hopeful, and the next, we feel completely lost. Every day feels like an eternity. We wake up hoping for news, clinging to faith, then losing it, only to rebuild it again. Still, I do have more hope now than I had before. I believe this deal will eventually lead to the second phase, and I will see my brother soon.”

“My brother and I went to the festival together—it was his first time at an event like this. He was so excited, and when I arrived, he immediately ran to me, hugged me, and took a selfie of us to send to our mother. That moment of pure joy vanished just 50 minutes later. The alarms started going off, and at first, we thought it was just another rocket attack. But then the shooting began. It was everywhere, all around us. People ran from their cars, screaming. I had to abandon mine and hide under a tree in the valley. I called my brother, and he told me he was with his friends, hiding. That was the last time I heard his voice. When I called again, he didn’t answer. I knew something had happened,”Gal said.

“After hours of running, hiding, and desperately trying to survive, I finally made it to safety. I called my father, and he told me to come home. But I could hear it in his voice—something was wrong. I demanded he tell me the truth, and that’s when he said it: my brother had been kidnapped by Hamas. A video had already been released showing him and his best friend in captivity, hands tied, terrified. The whole world had seen it before I did. My family, my friends—they all knew but didn’t tell me because they needed me to focus on saving my own life. I was supposed to watch over my brother that day, and yet, I came back without him. That realization is something I carry with me every single day,” he added.

“Our home feels empty without him. My little sister, who grew up with two older brothers, now has neither of us there. My mother, who was perfectly healthy before all of this, had to undergo open-heart surgery from the sheer stress and pain. The absence of Guy is not just something we feel—it’s something we live with every single day,” said Gal in his trembling voice.